Guiteras Plant to Remain Offline for at Least Five More Days

The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant will remain out of operation for at least five more days as repairs continue, delaying its return to the National Electroenergetic System (SEN). This update was shared on the plant's social media channels this Wednesday.

The plant's official announcement attributed the shutdown, which occurred on Monday, to a failed welding seam that damaged three additional tubes.

"Following inspection last night, it was determined that the unit's shutdown originated from a faulty welding seam, which damaged three more adjacent tubes, resulting in a total of four affected tubes, all of which have been replaced," the statement noted.

Despite the replacement of these tubes, the repairs are far from complete.

Extended Repairs and Challenges

The facility reported that the number of welders has been increased, and over the next five days, four teams will work on more than 100 welding seams, keeping the unit offline until at least June 22.

This marks the 15th malfunction at Guiteras in 2026 alone. Located in Matanzas, the plant, which was inaugurated in 1988 with a nominal capacity of 250 MW, has not undergone a comprehensive capital maintenance since 2010.

A full repair would require around 180 days of downtime, which authorities deem unfeasible given the country's current power generation shortfall.

Impact on Cuba's Power Crisis

The shutdown of Guiteras exacerbates an already critical electrical crisis. On Monday, the Electric Union projected a nighttime peak shortfall of up to 2,085 MW. On Tuesday, SEN availability was a mere 970 MW against a demand of 2,525 MW. Matanzas has reported power cuts lasting up to 85 consecutive hours, while Havana faces blackouts ranging from 20 to 22 hours daily.

The announcement coincided with Father's Day, amplifying public outrage on social media.

Comments on Facebook mixed dark humor with pent-up frustration. "Haha, we've been without power for 3 days, and we have 5 more to go haha," noted one user. Another summed up the sentiment in one sentence: "What patience the Cuban people have."

Several commentators humorously referenced the frequent technical issues. "It has more seams than a shoe factory," quipped one.

Another sarcastically added, "In short, it's ready for therapy." Some recalled the timing of past outages: "Happy Father's Day, remember on Mother's Day, we had late-night outages."

One person even speculated about future power issues: "They'll make it perfect for July 26. Then we'll cry."

The reorganization of blackouts in Santiago de Cuba into nine blocks with only one or two hours of service daily illustrates the immediate nationwide impact of Guiteras' shutdown, which contributes 250 MW to the system. Meanwhile, 106 distributed generation plants remain offline due to fuel shortages, equating to an additional 890 MW unavailable.