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The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant in Matanzas has received the "National Vanguard" distinction for the fifth time, awarded by the Central Workers' Union of Cuba, as announced by the official journalist José Miguel Solís, correspondent for Radio Rebelde in Matanzas, in posts shared on social media this Tuesday.
The recognition comes in the worst year for the plant in terms of failures: the Guiteras has been removed from the National Electric System at least seven times in 2026, including the total collapse of the electrical system on March 16, when a leak in the boiler left 68% of the island without electricity for 29 hours and 29 minutes.
Solís published: "For the fifth time, the workers of the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant in Matanzas are deserving of the National Vanguard status. This year, as outlined in the economic and social program, they will begin the long-awaited general maintenance focused on the turbine, generator, and boiler as essential elements."
In another post, the same journalist celebrated that the plant was operating at 200 MW at that time, with the phrase: "A moment of joy, but above all, a demonstration."
The irony of the award is hard to overlook. On March 6, a pipe break in the boiler affected approximately six million people from Camagüey to Pinar del Río.
On April 6, a puncture in the boiler took the plant off the system again. And last Friday, April 24, the Guiteras went offline again due to excessive water consumption in the thermal unit, with repairs estimated for this Wednesday, the 29th, in an optimistic scenario.
The plant, inaugurated in 1988 and the largest single unit for electricity generation in Cuba with a nominal capacity of 250 MW, has never received major maintenance since it was put into service, accumulating over 36 years of deterioration. It accounts for between 20% and 25% of the national thermal generation, making each of its breakdowns a direct blow to the supply for the entire country.
The pattern of rewarding in the midst of failure is not new. In March, the director of the thermoelectric plant was promoted despite the electrical collapse that his plant experienced, which caused widespread outrage.
The Cuban energy crisis in 2026 has reached historic levels. The generation deficit reached 1,955 MW on March 26, and the regime admitted to four consecutive months without enough fuel to sustain the electrical system. Cuba needs eight fuel ships per month, but between December 2025 and April 2026, it received only one.
The distinction "National Vanguard," according to the CTC itself, comes with the slogan "give more, demand more, and never give in." For Cubans who have endured power outages of up to 22 consecutive hours this year, the title feels like yet another demonstration of the chasm between official rhetoric and the reality faced by the people.
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