14ymedio/EFE, Havana, 20 September 2023 — The Chinese Government donated more than 114 million dollars (almost 107 million euros) to Cuba for the construction of a photovoltaic park with a generation capacity of 5 megawatts (MW) in Holguín, the official press reported on Wednesday.
According to the Cuban News Agency (ACN), the project is in the “initial phase.” Currently, “the conditions of the terrain” and “the necessary assurances in the execution of the construction works and assembly” are being evaluated.
The park, adds the local radio station Radio Mayarí, will be located in the capital municipality of Holguín, a province frequently affected by power cuts due to generation problems and fuel shortages.
The regional project to change the energy matrix is committed to renewable energies and includes the gradual installation of photovoltaic parks
The regional project to change the energy matrix is committed to renewable energies and includes the gradual installation of photovoltaic parks in other adjacent municipalities.
The Cuban government hopes to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, which currently account for 95% of national energy production, and especially the import of crude oil, due to the high costs it entails.
However, the 5 MW that this new photovoltaic park would provide will not alleviate even 1% of demand at the time of highest daily consumption in Cuba, according to data from the state Electric Union (UNE).
The national energy transition plan estimates that by 2030, 37% of its energy will come from renewable sources, although currently these barely represent 5%, and investments in this area are minimal.
Last August, the Cuban authorities announced another donation from the Asian country, which included 9,259 solar panels for the state company BioCubaFarma. The purpose of the project is to install the panels at the National Center for Scientific Research, in Havana, and achieve a generation capacity of 5 MW.
Months earlier, in December 2022, the official press also announced the installation of a third solar park in Sancti Spíritus with a donation of equipment from China that will barely have a maximum generation capacity of 2.2 megawatts, 1.4% of the province’s daily demand.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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