The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant, the largest in Cuba, went out of service this Tuesday at 10:11 PM, according to a brief note posted by the Electric Union (UNE) on its Facebook page.
The official report indicated that the outage occurred “due to causes yet to be identified”, making this interruption the latest in a seemingly endless series.
What makes this disconnection particularly striking is the amount of time the plant managed to remain standing: just 24 hours.
This Tuesday, the UNE enthusiastically announced that the Matanzas facility had synchronized with the National Electric Power System at 10:06 PM on Monday and was "increasing its load".
The announcement of the brief reconnection triggered a flood of irony in the comments. "Let's see how many minutes it lasts," wrote one user. "It'll go down again in a matter of minutes," predicted another.
A third person summarized the collective frustration with sarcasm: "Great, now we'll see some improvement. It won't be 40 hours of blackout anymore, now it will be 39."
Incredulity mingled with the desperation of those who had been without electricity for hours or even days. "Whose power is that? I've been in the dark for 20 hours," asked an internet user.
From Encrucijada, a user wrote: "Let's see if after almost 60 hours the municipality gets at least an hour of power, because this is just too much." From Pinar del Río, another reported 42 consecutive hours without electricity: "This is not living."
During 2026, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant has experienced numerous unscheduled outages, according to announcements on UNE's communication channels; however, the total figure has not been officially published.
Its history in October alone is devastating: it went out on the 4th after repairs on the high-temperature reheater; it broke down again on the 9th due to a leak in the steam tempering line, and on the 14th, it suffered a new breakdown in the economizer of its boiler, with additional damage to the low-temperature reheater.
Between October 15 and 17, technicians replaced 11 pipe segments and conducted hydraulic and pneumatic tests to certify the welding work. The result of all this effort was a connection that lasted just 24 hours.
The power plant, inaugurated in 1988 and located in Matanzas, has been in operation for more than 38 years and has not received major maintenance since 2010. Its nominal capacity is up to 316 MW, but its actual condition renders it a constant source of uncertainty for the national electrical system.
On October 17, the UNE labeled it as "the largest and most efficient unitary bloc in Cuba," a statement that triggered massive mockery on social media while the plant remained out of service.
This new drop exacerbates an energy crisis that was already catastrophic.
This Tuesday, the Cuban electrical system had only 920 MW available against a demand of 2,820 MW, with a projected deficit of 1,850 MW. Power outages lasting 20, 40, and even over 60 consecutive hours have become routine in provinces such as Pinar del Río, Villa Clara, and Matanzas, where some towns have gone over 70 hours without electricity in recent days.
The electrical collapse drags down the water supply: the regime admitted that 2.5 million Cubans —32% of those who receive water through networks— have their service interrupted, with 88% of incidents attributed to electrical problems. The desperation has led to spontaneous protests in Artemisa, Granma, and Cienfuegos.
Enough already: whether Guiteras entered or left, inside or outside it's the same rubbish, the same torture of blackouts continues for the unfortunate, wrote an indignant Cuban on UNE's profile. Those who need to leave and not enter are a bunch of those in positions who make promises and do not keep them.
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