14ymedio, Havana, 16 January 2024 — When construction began six years ago on the Herradura 1 wind farm in Las Tunas, it was supposed to be completed within a few months. On Wednesday, however, the Cuban communist party newspaper Granma announced with great fanfare that, though the facility “is soon to be finished,” it will still not be complete. Of the 34 wind turbines that the facility was supposed to have ready, only 22 will be put into operation.
“The only thing left to do is to certify that certain items such as the electrical substation —the facility that will handle electricity generated by the complex — as well as the maintenance and operations center are ready,” Granma quotes Carlos Arias Sobrino, general director of Las Tunas Electric Company, as saying.
Herradura 2 — its sister complex, which is also located near the coastal township of Jesús Menéndez — will have twenty generators providing 50 megawatts (MW) to the National Electrical System (SEN). Granma did not indicate when it will begin operations.
However, it did report that a 5 MW photovoltaic solar farm is under construction in the township of Puerto Padre. Together with two others already in operation in Manatí, it should provide 16 MW.
A 5 MW photovoltaic solar farm is under construction in the township of Puerto Padre. Together with two others already in operation in Manatí, it should provide 16 MW
“With the completion of these two projects, the province will generate almost 50 MW of renewable energy, a step forward in its goal of meeting regional demand and contributing to the national electrical grid,” Granma said. This ignores the fact that the amount of power to be generated by these facilities is insignificant compared to the country’s overall demand for electricity.
Construction on Herradura 1 began in late 2018 with financial backing from China. However, the project soon ran into several obstacles that delayed its completion. Chinese turbine manufacturer Goldwind, German shipping company BBC Chartering and Danish logistics company DSV Panalpina were sued under the Helms-Burton Act in 2020 by North American Sugar, the company that owned Puerto Carúpano before it was expropriated in the 1960s.
The sugar company claimed that these firms owed $291 million for using its confiscated property. In the suit, it is seeking $97 million for use of the plus interest and court costs. Also named in the suit were several U.S. subsidiaries of the European companies. These include DSV Air & Sea, BBC Chartering USA and BBC Chartering Singapore.
Despite the obstacles and the Cuban government’s frequent failure to abide by contractual agreements, China continues to finance the installation of renewable energy generators in Cuba. It is also providing a shipment of spare parts to repair SEN generator sets.
“The Chinese government’s Equipment and Spare Parts for Distributed Electric Generators for Cuba is the result of the consensus reached between Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic of Cuba and the leader of the Asian giant, Xi Jinping and includes multi-sector cooperation,” state media reported at the time.
The minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, also announced two contracts with Chinese companies in March of 2024
The minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, also announced two contracts with Chinese companies in March of 2024 to “gradually” provide SEN with more than 2,000 MW from the construction of 92 solar farms on the island, with approximately three in each province.
The aim of the agreement is to save the country 750 tons of imported fuel, a drop in the bucket given that the country buys about three million tons a year from abroad. The problem is deadlines. The first one must be completed by May of this year and the second, in May of 2028.
While the press claims, as it did on Wednesday, that the construction of these projects is moving forward, Cubans still face ongoing blackouts like the one the Electric Union scheduled for Thursday. According to the state-owned company’s daily briefing, a 1,300 MW shortage is expected during peak hours, a third of the national demand.
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