The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant has once again been disconnected from Cuba's National Electric System due to an economizer failure in its boiler. The plant's general manager, Román Pérez Castañeda, announced that the repairs will involve replacing more than 100 defective welds, which have been identified as a recurring source of breakdowns, as reported by Cuban television news.
Immediate and Long-term Repair Plans
The issue arose when a weld seam failed, damaging three additional tubes, totaling four affected tubes. "One weld seam failed, damaging three more tubes, so between yesterday and today, we need to tackle the problem of replacing those four damaged tubes," Pérez Castañeda explained.
Once this immediate damage is addressed, a more extensive intervention will take place. "This time, we're going to remove all the weld seams made during the period in question, which amounts to over 100 welds," the director specified, acknowledging that these defective joints "have been the root cause of all these failures."
Mobilization and Completion Timeline
A team from the National Electric Services Company has been mobilized with a significantly increased number of welders compared to previous interventions to execute the task. The approach does not involve replacing entire tubes but rather cutting and redoing the compromised welds. The director estimated that the entire process could be completed within five days from this Wednesday.
Frequent Failures and Structural Issues
This marks the 16th failure experienced by the Guiteras plant this year. Last Sunday, the plant was offline due to a leak in the boiler, just three days after resuming service on June 12. Between January and May 29, the plant had already been out of service for 293 hours solely due to economizer defects.
In previous repairs this year, 544 weld seams were inspected, 172 were repaired, and thickness measurements were taken at over 850 points, replacing all tubes with critically low thickness. The upcoming intervention aims to proactively eliminate welds that still pose a risk.
Long-term Maintenance Challenges
The plant's deterioration is deeply rooted in structural issues: the boiler has been in use for over 38 years and hasn't undergone major maintenance since 2010. Pérez Castañeda admitted in May that at least 180 days of downtime are necessary for a comprehensive overhaul, but "the country's situation still doesn't allow it." The Energy and Mines Minister, Vicente de la O Levy, promised this maintenance by the end of 2025, postponed it in December citing a "temporary issue," and mentioned it again in April 2026 without a specific date.
As the Guiteras plant remains down, the electric system teeters on the brink of collapse. According to the Electric Union, as of 6:00 AM this Wednesday, availability was at 950 MW compared to a demand of 2,570 MW, leading to 1,622 MW of outages. For peak hours, a deficit of 2,050 MW is projected, with 106 distributed generation plants offline due to a lack of fuel.
Many Cubans reported only two hours of electricity on Wednesday in numerous areas, with outages exceeding 48 consecutive hours in eastern provinces.
Understanding Cuba's Electricity Crisis
What caused the latest outage at the Guiteras plant?
The outage was caused by a failure in a weld seam, which subsequently damaged three additional tubes in the boiler's economizer.
How significant is the impact of these power outages on Cuba?
The outages are severe, with many areas experiencing only two hours of electricity and some regions facing over 48 consecutive hours without power.
What are the long-term solutions proposed for the Guiteras plant?
Long-term solutions include a comprehensive maintenance overhaul, which requires at least 180 days of downtime. However, this has been delayed due to economic challenges.