An official journalist from Radio 26 in Matanzas celebrated this week on Facebook that the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant has been connected to the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) for 30 consecutive days, with a headline that says it all: "30 days online, who would have thought, huh?"
José Miguel Solís, a regular reporter from the Matanzas plant, reported that the Guiteras was operating steadily and generating 190 megawatts (MW) since its last synchronization, which occurred in early August.
The journalist's astonishment is understandable: the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant in Matanzas, the largest single block of electricity generation in Cuba, has recorded about twenty unscheduled outages so far in 2026.
The plant, originally designed to generate over 300 MW but currently able to contribute around 270 MW under optimal conditions, has not received capital maintenance since 2010, as acknowledged by its own management.
To understand the magnitude of the "achievement," it is enough to recall what happened just weeks before. On July 17, the Guiteras synchronized with the SEN at 4:54 PM and went offline at 5:20 —26 minutes later— due to a leak in the boiler. Nine days later, it went offline again due to failures in the economizer.
The startup process that preceded the current synchronization began on August 3, amid efforts to rebuild the National Electroenergetic System after two consecutive collapses. The plant rejoined the SEN during this recovery, and on August 4, following the seventh nationwide blackout of 2026, Cuba recorded a record maximum impact of 2,411 MW, the highest documented until that point.
In this context, the fact that Guiteras has been online for a month generating only a fraction of its nominal capacity is presented by Solís as a milestone worthy of admiration. Engineer Román Pérez Castañeda, general director of the generation unit, stated to the journalist that "so far there are no looming threats, water consumption remains stable, and they are preparing for a slight maintenance as soon as the Electric Union decides."
Pérez Castañeda also confirmed that the plant "has the necessary parts and supplies to repair the turbine and generator" and that they are streamlining the logistics for the rest of the systems. He specified, in addition, that capital maintenance is scheduled for the end of the year, with the goal of "restoring power and stability to the Matanzas block within a period not exceeding 180 days."
That capital maintenance—which the plant has urgently needed for years—has been postponed time and again due to the country's severe energy crisis.
This scenario, therefore, dispels any notions of celebration. On September 2nd, the availability of generation was barely around 990 MW against a demand of about 3,250 MW, resulting in a deficit of over 2,000 MW. The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, himself acknowledged before the National Assembly, at the end of July, that there are communities with up to 105 consecutive days without electricity.
Cubans on social media, who have been enduring blackouts of over 20 hours a day for months, received the previous announcement from Guiteras —when on August 16 the plant reaffirmed it was online generating 190 MW— with the irony the situation warrants. "It goes on and off and you don’t feel anything," wrote an internet user. Another was more graphic: "Please, don’t suffocate it, remember it’s an old lady with blush who trembles every time she gets a boost."
In that context, a pro-government journalist celebrating with exclamation marks that the largest thermoelectric plant in the country has been operating for a month—at less than three-quarters of its capacity—accurately summarizes the state of energy in Cuba.
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