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The Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant, the largest single-unit power generation block in Cuba, could resume operations this Monday after experiencing three unplanned outages in a short period, the most recent being due to a malfunction in the economizer of the plant located in Matanzas.
The engineer Román Pérez Castañeda, general director of the plant, presented two startup scenarios: "An optimistic forecast would be tomorrow in the early afternoon, perhaps between 3 and 4 PM.
A more reserved forecast: if the X-ray tests and the hydraulic tests show any kind of effect, then the repair would be extended until Monday morning.
"Unfortunately, in a very short time we have had three outages. One was due to the high-temperature reheater, where it was necessary to repair eight tubes; then we experienced a breakdown in the regenerative air heater; and the latest issue occurred in the economizer," explained the executive.
The forced shutdown is being used to carry out more extensive repairs at the points where the previous failures occurred.
"We are reviewing and repairing a few things with a bit more time, addressing everything we find," stated Pérez Castañeda.
Regarding the status of the work, the director detailed that the high-temperature reheater requires four weld seams, of which three had already been completed at the time of the report.
In the economizer, the cause of the last output, it is necessary to replace two sections of two curves—another four weld seams—with two already completed and radiographic control in progress.
In addition, adjustments are made to the regenerative air heaters, cleaning of the boiler furnace—where ash and slag had accumulated—and correction of a sealing issue at the bottom of the boiler that was causing gas leaks and the escape of incandescent material.
In total, more than 260 additional activities are being carried out, including electrical tasks, automated processes, and preventive measures against humidity, a recurring cause of previous failures.
The tasks are carried out in uninterrupted shifts of 24 hours, organized into two shifts, "in order not to lose a single second," as reported by the plant on its official profile.
This outage represents the ninth shutdown of Guiteras from the National Electric System so far in 2026.
The unit had been synchronized to the system only on May 9, after a 90-hour repair involving nearly 300 corrective actions, and it failed again five days later.
On May 14, the shutdown of the Guiteras triggered a partial collapse of the electrical system that left the area from Ciego de Ávila to Guantánamo without electricity, with a record deficit of 2,153 MW, surpassing the previous high of 2,075 MW recorded on March 6, 2026.
The backdrop of the crisis is the structural deterioration of a plant inaugurated in 1988 that has been in continuous operation for 38 years.
Its last major maintenance was in 2010, accumulating 15 years of backlog when technical standards recommend a thorough intervention every seven to eight years.
The plant needs a shutdown of 180 days for maintenance, but the regime cannot afford that given the seriousness of the energy crisis.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, summarized the country's situation without euphemisms: "We have absolutely no fuel, no diesel, only associated gas."
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