The Cuban Electrical Union (UNE) announced on Friday that the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant, located in Matanzas, has reconnected to the National Electrical System at 12:07 PM and continues to increase its load, as reported on the entity’s official Facebook page.
This reconnection comes six days after the plant's 14th shutdown of the year, which occurred last Saturday morning due to new water leaks in the boiler, just three days after it had been synchronized on June 3.
Engineer Elmer García Romero, the technical deputy director of the Guiteras plant, explained on Thursday that after a six-hour hydraulic test, only a welding task and radiological control of a boiler leak remained to be completed before resuming operations.
García Romero noted that during this repair, verifications extended beyond the economizer, which had caused recent shutdowns, to include a significant number of heat exchange surfaces.
Despite the reconnection, the Guiteras plant's integration into the system is limited. The UNE had anticipated its entry with a mere 100 MW during the Friday night peak, significantly below its maximum capacity of 300 MW, indicating that the plant has yet to reach its full potential.
This announcement comes amid the most severe electrical crisis in Cuba's recent history, with a deficit reaching 2,027 MW by 8:00 PM on Thursday, sparking protests and banging of pots and pans in Havana and other cities.
For Friday, the UNE projected a nighttime peak shortfall of 1,720 MW, with availability at only 1,310 MW against a demand of 3,000 MW—a marginal improvement reliant on the Guiteras providing 200 MW and the Santa Cruz Plant's Unit Two contributing 80 MW.
At 6:00 AM on Friday, system availability was just 1,030 MW against a demand of 2,590 MW, resulting in 1,560 MW being unavailable from the start of the day.
The structural condition of the plant is dire, having gone over 15 years without major maintenance—the last being in 2010—and experiencing 14 shutdowns in 2026 alone.
The plant's director, Dr. Román Pérez Castañeda, has publicly acknowledged that the facility requires at least 180 days of downtime for comprehensive repairs, a measure authorities have dismissed due to the potential exacerbation of the power deficit.
A full boiler repair would involve addressing over 500 damaged tubes and performing between 1,000 and 1,200 welding joints, according to the plant's technical data.
The worst deficit this year occurred on May 14, reaching 2,174 MW, while in provinces like Granma, power outages extended between 45 and 48 consecutive hours during June.
The UNE warned that "if current conditions persist, a 1,720 MW shortfall is expected" during Friday's peak demand hours, highlighting the scale of a crisis the regime has failed to reverse.
Understanding Cuba's Electrical Crisis
What caused the recent shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras plant?
The shutdown was caused by new water leaks in the boiler, just a few days after the plant had been synchronized.
How much power is the Guiteras plant currently contributing to the grid?
The plant is contributing only 100 MW to the grid, which is significantly below its maximum capacity of 300 MW.
What maintenance does the Guiteras plant require?
The plant needs a comprehensive repair, which involves addressing over 500 damaged tubes and performing extensive welding work.