With the Unforeseen Departure of the Guiteras Power Plant, Cuba’s Expected Deficit of the UNE Reaches 2,595 Megawatts

Cuban authorities also recovered a unit from the Antonio Maceo thermoelectric plant in Santiago de Cuba, but admit that the shortage is high in the country

The Guiteras, at the time of its disconnection, provided 250 MW / Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant/Facebook

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 2 February 2025 — The anxiety of living from blackout to blackout has no end for Cubans who, in recent days, have once again suffered a deficit of more than 1,500 megawatts (MW). This Sunday, the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant in Matanzas unexpectedly dropped again from the National Electric System (SEN) around 8:15 in the morning “for a cause not yet identified,” the official press said.

With a generation capacity of 330 MW, the largest plant in the country had disconnected from the SEN in the middle of last month after a technological failure in the boiler. The problem lasted nine days, after which the thermoelectric power plant managed to synchronize without any setbacks on January 27, but only for a week.

“The origin of the problem is being investigated,” and should no damage be reported that entails a repair, the plant “could begin the start-up in the next few hours,” the Cuban News Agency reported, quoting Rubén Campos Olmo, general director of the plant.

“The origin of the problem is being investigated,” and should no damage be reported that entails a repair, the plant “could begin the start -up in the next few hours”

At the time of its disconnection, the Guiteras was contributing 250 MW to the SEN. In this morning’s report, the SEN predicted a deficit of 1,525 MW with a possible affectation of 1,595 MW. When the power went out, the government recalculated the lack, and it is now expected to be 2,595 MW during peak hours.

Work is currently being done on breakdowns in the Renté (Santiago de Cuba), Felton (Holguín), Guevara (Mayabeque) and Diez de Octubre (Camagüey) thermoelectric plants. Work is also being done at the Cienfuegos plant, the National Electric Union (UNE) reported.

The country has been immersed in an energy crisis for years due to the lack of fuel; e.g., the lack of foreign exchange to import it, and the frequent breakdowns in its obsolete thermoelectric plants, with decades of operation and a chronic investment deficit. The situation has worsened since the end of August, and at the beginning of 2025, despite low temperatures, the deficit has remained above 1,000 MW.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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