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The workers of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant in Matanzas completed the repair tasks on Saturday and are preparing to initiate the startup early next morning, after confirming the success of the hydraulic tests on the boiler.
This was confirmed to Radio 26 by engineer Román Pérez Castañeda, general director of the yumurino block, who specified that "work has been carried out without interruption and nearly 300 corrective actions were undertaken" during the repairs.
Experts consulted by the Matanzas media estimate that Guiteras could generate around 200 megawatts this Saturday and rise to 230 megawatts on Sunday, in what they described as a symbolic tribute to the revolutionary after whom the plant is named.
The final day of repairs unfolded with a detailed review of each task to ensure perfect synchronization, as reported by the Periódico Girón.
The plant went offline from the National Electric System last Tuesday at 9:12 AM due to a malfunction in the boiler, resulting in an immediate loss of 140 megawatts.
It was the eighth outage of the Guiteras in the electrical system so far in 2026, a figure that reflects the accumulated deterioration of a facility that has never received major maintenance in its over 36 years of operation.
The shutdown of the plant triggered severe blackouts across Cuba, with a national electricity deficit nearing 1,900 megawatts last Wednesday.
Matanzas, the province that houses the plant, accumulated more than 40 hours of continuous blackout by the end of Thursday, a paradox that did not go unnoticed among Cubans.
On Wednesday, May 6, the cooling of the boiler was completed, and hydraulic and pneumatic tests began to assess the damage.
The deputy production director, Jorge Gómez Sánchez, reported on Thursday that more than 70% of the corrective actions had been completed, with the welding on the boiler nearing completion.
The underlying energy crisis is further exacerbated because the Russian oil that alleviated the blackouts has run out at the end of April, with no confirmed date for a second shipment.
The launch symbolically coincides with the 91st anniversary of the assassination of the revolutionary Antonio Guiteras Holmes and the Venezuelan Carlos Aponte, which occurred on May 8, 1935, in El Morrillo, Matanzas, when both were attempting to set sail for Mexico to organize an armed expedition.
La Guiteras contributes between 20% and 25% of the national thermal generation, with a nominal capacity ranging from 250 to 340 megawatts, making it the largest individual thermoelectric plant in Cuba and a key element in alleviating the blackouts that continue to worsen across the country.
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