The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant, the largest power plant in Cuba, resynchronized with the National Electroenergetic System this Sunday, reporting a generation of over 100 MW, according to a Facebook post by journalist José Miguel Solís from Radio 26, who regularly covers news related to the Matanzas power plant.
The state agency ACN specified that the plant was synchronized at 9:33 in the morning, and subsequent reports indicated that it was already contributing over 100 MW to the system. Good news, in theory. The problem is that the plant has a nominal installed capacity of around 300 MW and has gone over 15 years without major maintenance — the last one dating back to 2010 — which makes each start-up a gamble.
The skepticism of Cubans is neither unwarranted nor arbitrary: it has history. Just on September 27, Guiteras had synchronized with about 150 MW to exit the system hours later due to a failure in the reheater. By September 30, it remained offline due to a malfunction, with a possible reconnection announced for October 2 that also did not materialize in time.
The reaction on social media was, as usual with news from Guiteras, a mix of dark humor, resignation, and prayers. "We'll see for how long," wrote a user, summarizing in four words what many think. Others chose to express their faith: "Solís, God hear you," "May God keep her active, amen," "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name… Amen." Someone else, with less mysticism and more pragmatism, simply asked: "Don’t cast the evil eye on her."
But the sharpest irony came from those who experience the contradiction firsthand: the plant is operational while their homes are in darkness. "La Guiteras is working, and the power is lost, just 5 hours in Guásimas, what impotence," denounced an internet user. From Santa Marta, someone bluntly asked, "For whom? In Santa Marta, there have been over 35 hours of blackout and only two of electricity." And from La Lisa, another user reported just three hours of power all day.
The context explains why nobody celebrates too much. Cuba has recorded generation deficits in recent months that on numerous days have approached or exceeded 2,000 MW, and has experienced eight general outages of the National Electric System so far this year, the most recent of which occurred on September 18. The Guiteras, for its part, has accumulated at least 17 unscheduled outages during 2026, with recurring failures in the economizer, boiler, and reheater.
Even with the plant online this Sunday, disruptions were reported in circuits across several provinces. The entry of Guiteras into the system continued to be an insufficient contribution to meet the country's actual demand.
"Thermal power plants break down, they get repaired, and we are still in the same situation: a few hours of electricity and then you know how it goes," summarized an internet user with the precision of someone who has been living this cycle for years. It's hard to find a more accurate description of the state of the Cuban electrical system in 2026.
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