The Electrical Union (UNE) assures that the stoppage is due to maintenance operations.
MIAMI, United States. – The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), the main unitary generation block in Cuba, left the National Electroenergetic System (SEN) this Thursday to carry out corrective work for breakdowns associated with overconsumption of water, according to the provincial newspaper of Matanzas, Giron.
According to that official medium, the immediate objective of the shutdown is to reduce water consumption by correcting a fault in the boiler superheater and other existing losses. “Other actions will also be carried out, such as washing the CAR (regenerative air heater) and eliminating defects that will allow us to reach March with better indicators,” stated Doctor of Science Román Pérez Castañeda, technical director of the plant.
According to the manager himself, the stoppage should last between 72 and 96 hours. After maintenance, the unit – which at the time of the announcement was operating at around 180 MW – must increase its load to a range of 220 to 240 MW, according to Giron.
The departure of Guiteras coincides with a high deficit scenario recognized by the Electrical Union (UNE). In its official statement this Thursday, the state company reported that the previous day there was an impact on the service for 24 hours and that the maximum impact due to a deficit in generation capacity was 1,832 MW.
The figures of recent days reflect the continuity of the problem. In its report of January 28, the UNE reported that the previous day there was also an impact for 24 hours and that the maximum impact reached 1,945 MW. Two days before, the company reported a maximum impact of 2,005 MW.
Guiteras, due to its weight within the SEN, is a determining factor in the stability of the system. In a work published by Giron In February of last year, Román Pérez Castañeda himself described that an unforeseen output can occur due to failures in the boiler tubes and that, when there is “so much water loss”, operating parameters are altered until the unit is forced to stop for protection.
In July 2025, the UNE published a note in which it reported that the plant was facing “light” maintenance scheduled for about 96 hours, with actions concentrated on leaks in the boiler area and cleaning of the regenerative air heaters (CAR), among other tasks, with the purpose of increasing power and stability.
In November 2025, another maintenance shutdown was reported, with corrective actions that included cleaning the condenser and washing the CARs, as well as repairs and replacement of valves.
With Guiteras offline and the rest of the thermal and operational limitations described by the UNE, the country enters a new day with official forecasts of high impact during peak consumption hours.
