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The Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located in Matanzas, began a hydraulic test this Sunday as a preliminary step towards its possible reintegration into the National Electric Power System (SEN), as announced by the plant itself on its social media.
"Once we successfully conclude, we would begin the ignition process. Afterwards, upon reaching the parameters, we will synchronize the unit with the national electrical system," the plant posted on its Facebook profile.
The announcement comes just nine days after the last reconnection, which took place on June 12, when the Guiteras returned to the SEN after inspecting 544 welding seams, repairing 172, and replacing five boiler headers.
On that occasion, the plant was only able to contribute around 100 MW during the night peak, well below its maximum capacity of 300 MW.
The state media Canal Caribe reported on Saturday that final work on the boiler was progressing and that reactivation was expected "this Sunday."
However, later reports also suggested a possible Tuesday as the synchronization date, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding each restart attempt.
The sequence of failures so far in 2026 is extensive: the plant has accumulated between 12 and 13 outages from the SEN, with more than half caused by boiler breakdowns.
Only in May and June, the Guiteras was taken offline on May 14, disconnected again on May 24 due to a leak in the economizer, reconnected on May 28, and went offline just two days later.
On June 6, it stopped again due to leaks in the boiler before the reconnection on the 12th.
The structural deterioration underlying this cycle is deep and cumulative. The plant has not received adequate capital maintenance since 2010, and the shutdown in January 2026 —lasting barely a month— proved insufficient to ensure optimal conditions for the summer, the peak demand season. In 2025, leaks in the boiler accounted for nearly 70% of the downtime, as acknowledged by the plant's own staff.
The weight of the Guiteras in the Cuban electrical system means that every outage has immediate consequences for millions of people.
The plant contributes between 20% and 25% of the national thermal generation, and its absence exacerbates a deficit that in June 2026 ranges between 1,720 MW and over 2,000 MW during peak hours.
The consequences for the population are direct: in Matanzas, cuts of up to 85 consecutive hours were recorded between June 14 and June 17, while in Santiago de Cuba, blackouts were organized into nine blocks with only one or two hours of electricity per day in each area.
On May 16, 51% of the country simultaneously lost electricity.
Every new announcement about the reconnection of Guiteras is met with the same skepticism: the last time the plant started up after a similar hydraulic test, it stayed connected for less than a week before failing again in the same critical area.
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