The Antonio Guiteras power plant found itself disconnected from the national power grid once again this Saturday due to a boiler malfunction. According to a Facebook post by pro-government television journalist Bernardo Espinosa, the director of Cuba's national electricity dispatch, Félix Estrada Rodríguez, disclosed that the Guiteras plant was taken offline from the National Electric System (SEN) because of a technological failure in its boiler.
"As a result, the midday generation capacity deficit on Saturday exceeded 750 MW, with an estimated impact of around 1400 MW expected during the evening," Estrada detailed.
Maintenance teams from the National Company for Power Plant Maintenance, along with staff from the Matanzas unit itself, will address the unexpected malfunction in the thermal machinery.
Official journalist José Miguel Solís noted that the plant went out of service at 9:59 am due to control valve malfunctions, following 45 days of continuous operation.
Rubén Campos Olmos, general manager of the Guiteras plant, mentioned that with this unexpected shutdown, inspection work on the boiler has commenced, along with the cleaning of regenerative air heaters and other tasks initially planned for the upcoming week.
"It is estimated that between rectifying the valve defect and completing the planned maintenance tasks for next week, the largest single unit on the island could remain offline for up to four days," the report stated.
Impact of Antonio Guiteras Plant Shutdown
What caused the Antonio Guiteras power plant to disconnect from the grid?
The disconnection was due to a technological failure in the boiler, specifically related to control valve malfunctions.
How long is the plant expected to remain out of service?
The plant could remain offline for up to four days as repairs and planned maintenance are completed.
What is the estimated impact on Cuba's electricity generation capacity?
The midday deficit was over 750 MW, with an evening impact estimated at around 1400 MW.