Repairs at Antonio Guiteras Power Plant May Take Four Days or More

The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant was disconnected from Cuba's National Electric System early Thursday morning, at 4:58 a.m., due to a boiler water leak. The plant's director warned that repair efforts could last between three to four days, contingent on the extent of the damage.

Román Pérez Castañeda, the chief engineer at the facility, detailed that their standard protocol involves cooling down the boiler, entering the interior, conducting hydraulic tests to pinpoint the leak, assessing the damage, and then proceeding with necessary repairs. "The water leak in the boiler was significant enough to halt generation safely," Pérez Castañeda stated, as reported by state journalist José Miguel Solís.

Repair Timeline and Challenges

When asked about the timeline, Pérez Castañeda clarified that "these operations typically take between 3 to 4 days, depending on the damage's severity," although it is too early for a definitive estimate. The Matanzas district's Electric Plant Maintenance Company is preparing to carry out these repairs and has included other tasks in the critical path that should not exceed 72 hours.

Pérez Castañeda assured that "necessary resources are available to tackle and resolve the issue," but acknowledged that the boiler experiences "significant mechanical and corrosion stress" within the thermal unit. This marks the ninth failure Guiteras has faced in 2026, occurring just five days after the plant was reconnected to the national grid on May 9, following a 90-hour repair shutdown that involved nearly 300 corrective actions.

Impact of Previous Failures

The same type of fault—a boiler leak—had already taken the plant offline on May 5, revealing that the prior repair did not address the underlying problem. Guiteras' shutdown triggered a partial collapse of the National Electric System at 6:09 a.m., cutting power to the entire central and eastern regions of Cuba, from Ciego de Ávila to Guantánamo.

By 6:30 a.m., only 636 MW were available, compared to a demand of 2,420 MW, affecting 1,790 MW. The forecast for Thursday's evening peak was dire: only 976 MW available against a demand of 3,150 MW, leading to projected blackouts of 20 to 22 hours daily in Havana.

Long-Term Structural Concerns

Guiteras' structural condition is dire: the last major maintenance was in 2010, and it has gone over 15 years without a comprehensive shutdown. Pérez Castañeda admitted the plant requires at least 180 days for such maintenance, but "the country's situation still does not allow it."

This breakdown occurs amidst Cuba's most severe energy crisis in decades. Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy acknowledged Wednesday that Cuba is "out of fuel"—both diesel and fuel oil—and described the situation as "acute, critical, and extremely tense."

Guiteras' operational logic is trapped in a cycle with no short-term solution: "We avoid stopping unless necessary, to not disrupt generation," Pérez Castañeda declared, a statement summarizing the vicious cycle in which Cuba's energy infrastructure operates after 67 years of communist dictatorship.