The Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant, the largest electricity generation plant in Cuba, went offline from the National Electric Power System this Tuesday at 11:44, as reported by the Electric Union on its social media. The reported cause was low vacuum in the condenser, a failure that increases turbine back pressure, reduces system efficiency, and can trigger the automatic protection mechanisms of the unit.
The incident this Tuesday is a new malfunction, different from the one recorded last Thursday, when the Guiteras disconnected due to vibrations in the turbine, indicating that the plant has not been able to stabilize after its last reconnection.
La Guiteras, located in Matanzas and with a nominal capacity of 316 MW, has experienced a series of failures in various systems as of October: on October 9, there was a leak in the steam tempering line; on October 14, there was a leak in the boiler economizer with additional damage to the low-temperature reheater; on October 20, it failed again just hours after re-synchronizing; on October 24, there were vibrations in the turbine; and now there is low vacuum in the condenser.
The plant operates with only one generating unit, which makes it particularly vulnerable: any failure in its main systems results in a total loss of its contribution to the national electrical grid. By July 2026, it had accumulated at least 17 unplanned outages, and between January and May, it recorded 293 hours out of service solely due to economizer issues.
This new failure exacerbates an electrical crisis that was already critical before 11:44 AM on Tuesday. According to the report from UNE for October 27, at 6:00 AM the system had only 850 MW available against a demand of 2,250 MW, with 1,340 MW affected.
In addition to the Guiteras, the unit 5 of the CTE Mariel, the unit 1 of the CTE Santa Cruz, the unit 2 of the CTE Felton, and the unit 3 of the CTE Renté are also out of service, while other units are undergoing maintenance. The limitations in thermal generation amount to 482 MW.
The day before, the actual maximum impact reached 1,983 MW at 7:10 PM, with outages that extended throughout the 24 hours, including the entire night.
For the peak hours this Tuesday, the UNE forecasted a capacity of 940 MW against a maximum demand of 2,900 MW, which indicates a deficit of 1,960 MW and an estimated impact of 1,990 MW —almost 69% of the maximum demand without coverage.
The only anticipated relief for the peak is the entry of unit 6 of Energás Jaruco with 70 MW and the completion of unit 6 of the CTE Renté with an additional 20 MW, figures that are insufficient to reverse the situation.
The UNE warned that "if the expected conditions persist, a shortfall of 1,990 MW is forecasted during this time," which suggests another day of extended blackouts for millions of Cubans.
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