The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant, Cuba's largest power-generating facility, encountered yet another hurdle in its repair process on Wednesday. A leak discovered during the hydraulic test of the economizer necessitates extended work, delaying its reconnection to the National Electric System, as reported by the plant on its official Facebook page and covered by Periódico Girón.
Located in Matanzas, the plant indicated that "due to the configuration of this component, work will continue uninterrupted to resolve the issue as quickly as possible." Once the leak is fixed, the hydraulic test will be repeated to ensure the component functions correctly before attempting to restart the plant.
This setback is a direct continuation of the crisis that began on September 19, when the eighth nationwide blackout of 2026 led to mechanical stresses that damaged the Guiteras boiler. The plant's general manager, Román Pérez Castañeda, mentioned that "punctures in several points of the steam generator" were suspected, and a preliminary inspection confirmed the fault was located in the economizer.
Cooling the boiler after the disconnection took nearly 72 hours, preventing the Electric Plants Maintenance Company (EMCE) teams from starting the inspection until the afternoon of September 21.
During the SEN collapse, Guiteras had been online for 44 consecutive days—since its reintegration on August 4—producing an average output of 185 MW, a streak celebrated by the government as a milestone.
The economizer has been the plant's most problematic component, responsible for nearly half of the at least 17 unplanned outages of the SEN that Guiteras experienced between January and July this year.
This component consists of 136 elements with three tubes each and shows widespread deterioration. A permanent solution would require replacing approximately 500 tubes and between 1,000 and 1,200 weld seams during a roughly 180-day shutdown, a major maintenance task acknowledged as necessary by authorities but unfulfilled since 2010.
Partial repairs—such as replacing specific tubes and redoing welds—result in a repetitive cycle of shutdowns, brief reconnections, and new breakdowns, with the leak detected on Wednesday being the latest manifestation.
In its morning production report, the plant also noted that a Production Council was held to review work done overnight and confirmed that welding operations continue in the affected areas.
While the nation's primary power unit remains offline, Cuba reported an available capacity of only 1,105 MW against a forecasted demand of 3,170 MW on Wednesday, leading to extended blackouts in Matanzas and other provinces.
The Electric Union had warned in August that multiple thermoelectric units might be simultaneously under maintenance or out of service between September and December, further exacerbating the country's electrical situation.
The management of the CTE stated that they would continue to update the public on the progress of the repairs and the repetition of the hydraulic test, a crucial step before the unit's final restart.
Understanding the Challenges at Guiteras Power Plant
What caused the recent delay in the repairs at the Guiteras Power Plant?
A leak discovered during the hydraulic test of the economizer has forced an extension of the repair work at the Guiteras Power Plant.
Why is the economizer a significant issue at the Guiteras Plant?
The economizer is problematic due to its widespread deterioration, contributing to nearly half of the plant's unplanned outages, necessitating extensive repairs.
What impact do the ongoing issues at the Guiteras Plant have on Cuba's power supply?
The issues cause a significant reduction in available power capacity, leading to extended blackouts in various regions, including Matanzas.