Cuba Restores Power Grid After Thermoelectric Plant Failure
Cuba is reconnecting its national power grid after a failure at the Antonio Guiteras plant caused a partial collapse of the electricity system.
Efforts continue to restore Cuba’s electricity system after a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant. Photo: Reuters
March 5, 2026 Hour: 5:49 am
Diesel shortages complicate efforts to reconnect the national electricity system following a major outage.
Cuban authorities are working to restore the national electricity system after a failure at a major thermoelectric plant triggered a partial collapse of the country’s power grid, officials reported.
RELATED: Failure in Cuba’s Electrical System Causes Disconnection in Several Provinces
The disruption occurred when a malfunction forced the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant in Matanzas province, causing a partial breakdown of the National Electric System (SEN), according to earlier information from the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
Restoration efforts are progressing as technical teams reconnect regional subsystems. Félix Estrada, director of the National Load Dispatch Center of Cuba’s Electric Union (UNE), reported that on Wednesday night the provinces of Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara and Cienfuegos were successfully linked to the central-eastern subsystem.
In Matanzas, a microsystem is currently operating to supply electricity to a unit of Energás Varadero.
Estrada said authorities expect the grid to be integrated westward to Pinar del Río in the coming hours as recovery operations continue. He also indicated that additional generation capacity is expected once a unit from the Santa Cruz plant and other Energás machines are incorporated into the system.
According to the UNE official, the Nuevitas plant is also scheduled to join the grid during Thursday.Estrada noted that restoring the electricity system is proving more complex on this occasion due to limited diesel fuel availability for power generation.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway to repair the Antonio Guiteras plant. Helmer García, director of the plant’s maintenance unit, said the repair process will begin once the boiler completes its cooling phase, which typically takes between 36 and 40 hours after the failure.
He explained that additional technical actions related to the malfunction are being carried out in parallel while teams prepare for the repair.Authorities said work continues to restore electricity service across the country as quickly as possible.
Author: MK
Source: Agencies
