The Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant, the largest electricity generation facility in Cuba, could resume operations in the early hours of Monday, November 16, according to journalist José Miguel Solís from Matanzas—who specializes in monitoring the facility—based on the inspection conducted on the boiler following the plant's 28th outage so far in 2026.
The unit was disconnected from the National Electric System (SEN) on Wednesday, November 11, while generating approximately 180 MW, due to a leak in the boiler economizer.
The inspection revealed a case of multiple deterioration. According to Solís, "punctures in the economizer, in the high reheater, and in the mother pipe area are the defects detected during this session."
The engineer Elmer García Romero, technical deputy director of the block, confirmed to Radio 26 that the scope of the intervention goes far beyond repairing the main leak: «Along with the solution to the malfunction in the economizer, the most deteriorated element in the plant, around 180 corrective tasks are being undertaken, with the support of the Central Repair Unit and brigades from the maintenance company for electric power plants in the west.»
Despite the scope of the work, Solís noted that, according to reports, the essential resources are available to undertake the new intervention of the economizer, a component that will also be built in Cuba with a view to the general maintenance of the plant.
The economizer has been the Achilles' heel of Guiteras for years. The facility has accumulated nearly 38 years of continuous operation and around 16 years without a complete overhaul, which explains the frequency of breakdowns. Just between January and the end of May, the plant recorded 12 outages and accumulated 293 hours of unavailability attributed to that component.
The outage number 28 occurs at the worst possible time for the Cuban electrical system. This Friday, the SEN had barely 900 MW available compared to a demand of 2,142 MW at six in the morning, with 1,245 MW already affected. For the peak demand hours at night, the Electric Union forecasted a deficit of 1,900 MW and an estimated impact of 1,930 MW, which means the system would only cover 32% of the country's needs.
The shutdown of the Guiteras is accompanied by two other major power plants that are simultaneously out of service. The CTE Ernesto Guevara, in Santa Cruz del Norte, lost its last active unit this Friday, leaving its three blocks—with a combined capacity of 295 MW—disabled. The CTE Felton, in Holguín, has been completely nonoperational for three weeks.
The crisis is also impacting entire provinces. Granma was completely disconnected from the SEN due to a fault in the 110 kV line connecting it to Santiago de Cuba. Las Tunas was disconnected at noon and reconnected with just 15 MW, which, according to the provincial electric company, is only enough "to support vital services and establish a rotation of approximately two hours for the circuits of the capital city and the municipalities."
Solís's forecast, with all the caution that the plant's history demands, leaves a window of hope open: "despite the undeniable challenges posed by obsolescence, there is a possibility that Guiteras will begin its restart in the early hours of next Monday."
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