Cuba’s Guiteras Power Plant Rejoins the Grid After a Week-Long Boiler Repair
ENERGY · CUBA
Key Facts
- —The country Cuba, an island of about 10 million people, has lived with daily rolling blackouts for months as its ageing oil-fired power plants break down.
- —What happened The Guiteras power plant, Cuba’s largest, returned to the grid on Sunday 4 October after a week out. The state utility expected 140 MW from it at the evening peak.
- —The numbers UNE forecast 1,840 MW of cuts at Sunday’s peak, against 3,050 MW of demand. On 29 September, with Guiteras down, it forecast 2,020 MW (UNE via Cubadebate).
- —What it means for you Expect slightly shorter outages if Guiteras holds, but cuts remain long. Separately, Russia handed over three ambulances and a car on Saturday 3 October.
- —Still open Whether Guiteras stays online. It has stopped 22 times this year, Diario de Cuba counts, and its last return lasted about 16 hours.
The Guiteras power plant in Matanzas, Cuba’s largest generating unit, rejoined the national grid on Sunday 4 October. It had been out of service for a week after a leak in its boiler.
The state utility Unión Eléctrica (UNE) planned on 140 megawatts (MW) from the plant at the evening peak. That should trim the nightly power cuts, though not by much.
What the Guiteras Return Changes
UNE’s Sunday morning bulletin, published by the state outlet Cubadebate, put evening availability at 1,240 MW against demand of 3,050 MW. It forecast 1,840 MW of cuts at the peak.
On 29 September, with Guiteras down, UNE had forecast 1,060 MW available against the same 3,050 MW of demand, and 2,020 MW of cuts, Cubadebate reported. The return of the plant accounts for most of that improvement.
Saturday showed how deep the gap still runs. Cuts lasted all 24 hours, and the shortfall peaked at 1,996 MW at 20:20, according to UNE.
Solar parks are the one growing source. They delivered 3,937 megawatt-hours on Saturday, with a midday peak of 612 MW, but produce nothing at the evening peak.
A Plant That Keeps Breaking Down
The Guiteras power plant last synchronised on Sunday 27 September at 06:58, delivering 150 MW. It tripped again at 23:05 that night, after roughly 16 hours, because of a leak in the burner wall, 14ymedio reported.
Plant director Román Pérez Castañeda told the state agency ACN that inspections found six reheater defects, CiberCuba reported. Repairs needed at least 48 hours.
That stoppage followed eight days of work on the economiser, damaged during the national grid collapse of 18 September. The plant opened in 1988 and has had no capital overhaul since 2010, CiberCuba reported.
Diario de Cuba counts 22 stoppages this year. For background, see Cuba’s Biggest Power Plant Now Fails Every Eleven Days and Cuba Grid Failure: Line Trips, Not Gunfire, Caused 8th Blackout of 2026.
Other Units Still Offline
Guiteras is far from the only problem. On Sunday morning UNE listed unit 2 at Felton and unit 6 at Renté as broken down.
Unit 3 at Santa Cruz, unit 5 at Nuevitas and unit 5 at Renté were in maintenance. A 30 MW addition from unit 4 at the CMC plant was also expected for the peak.
Russia Sends Ambulances
On Saturday 3 October, Russia handed Cuban officials three ambulances and a Lada Iskra car, Cubadebate and Diario de Cuba reported. The ceremony took place at the Ramón González Coro maternity hospital in Havana.
The vehicles are a gift from the St Petersburg city government. They will serve the maternal and child health programme in Havana, Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba.
Ambassador Victor Koronelli said they arrived “after a long and difficult journey” despite the US embargo. The deal was agreed when St Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov visited Cuba in November 2025.
Four vehicles will not change much on their own. Diario de Cuba noted that the Health Ministry announced 50 new ambulances in January, yet fuel shortages still limit emergency care.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not yet confirmed how much power Guiteras actually delivered at Sunday’s peak. A pneumatic test on Saturday had flagged two faulty reheater tubes, which were repaired before the restart, local journalist José Miguel Solís reported.
No date has been given for the units at Felton and Renté to return. Russia has not said whether more medical deliveries will follow.
Sources: Cubadebate (UNE bulletin, 4 Oct) · Cubadebate (ambulances) · Diario de Cuba (Guiteras, 4 Oct) · Diario de Cuba (ambulances, 4 Oct) · Diario de Cuba (repairs, 30 Sep) · Cubadebate (UNE bulletin, 29 Sep) · 14ymedio (28 Sep) · CiberCuba (30 Sep).
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error