Achieving an average of 1,400 megawatts (MW) in thermal generation, as well as achieving fuel sovereignty by increasing national crude oil production, are some of the goals set out in the Government Program for the recovery of the National Electric System.
This was stated by Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, when addressing the members of the Industry, Construction, and Energy Commission on its first day of work, prior to the fifth regular session of the National Assembly of People's Power, in its tenth legislature.
In the presence of Commander of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, Deputy Prime Minister, it was noted that this program also promotes popular participation in the investment process, a principle inherited from the Energy Revolution.
He explained that the target for this summer was 1,100 MW and that so far they have met it on a regular basis.
"Thanks to a Chinese donation, we have, to a large extent, the technical capacity to generate 1,000 MW with distributed power, which can be increased by another 100 MW, provided that conditions are favorable in terms of fuel availability", De la O Levy emphasized.
He said that 22 photovoltaic solar parks, belonging to the 2,000 MW megaproject, are also synchronized. The vast majority of the resources for its implementation are in Cuba, he added.
He pointed out that containers with storage batteries have already begun to arrive, which are planned to be installed in large 220-kilovolt (kV) substations.
He said that it was possible to contain the decline in oil production and the withdrawal of the tankers: three of the eight remained and another small one was added, with an initial contribution of 50 MW.
On the other hand, Energas delivers more than 8.3 gigawatt hours (GWh), thanks to the increase in natural gas volumes obtained and repairs to combined cycle turbines in Varadero.
OTHER ACTIONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
De la O Levy specified that comprehensive maintenance of the Antonio Guiteras de Matanzas thermoelectric power plant (CTE), which is due to be completed in December, is closer than ever. In addition, they are fighting to recover three 100 MW units, belonging to the old Soviet plants, which are currently at zero.
However, the situation remains very complex, he said. In May and June, the outages averaged 20 hours; last Friday, they dropped to 11, and he said that work is being done to continue the reduction, he emphasized.
A unit from the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes CTE in Cienfuegos, another from the Antonio Maceo CTE in Santiago de Cuba, and one from the Ernesto Guevara CTE in Santa Cruz, Mayabeque, are expected to come online soon, he said.
He commented that demand and consumption are rising steadily due to the importation of 17 million electrical appliances in recent years and two million in 2024 alone. The absence of liquefied gas and the coincidence of several electrical appliances, without the capacity to encourage savings, also have an impact.
Domestic crude oil production fell from 3.6 to 2.1 million tons per year, while thermoelectric power plants, even in their current technical condition, consume 2.3 million tons, the minister said.
Regarding the rehabilitation of electrical networks, he said that little progress has been made, as $150 million is needed just to get started. Today we are removing transformers from the economy to deliver them to the population, and they are running out in that first sphere, he said.
In terms of savings, he explained, they have expanded the number of controlled high private consumers to more than 3,000, while acknowledging that energy councils and the contribution of mass organizations need to be improved.
He highlighted that they have faced criminal acts such as the theft of conductors and transformers; recently, in a park, they broke the fence and cut all the cables to an inverter.
SOLAR PARKS
Deputy Randel Coloma Oduardo, vice president of the commission and general director of Project and Architecture Company No. 15, shared the results of the deputies' monitoring and oversight of the construction of more than 20 photovoltaic solar parks (PSFV) with a total capacity of 21.87 MW in ten provinces.
In general, he explained, during the preparation stage, they verified compliance with the established technical aspects; however, they identified delays in the processing of executive projects in territories such as Camagüey and Holguín, and in the delivery of key supplies in Cárdenas 5, in Matanzas, and in Placetas, Villa Clara.
The main problems are concentrated in construction, including the late arrival of lubricants, batteries, and tires; equipment breakdowns; imbalance in the allocation of machinery; and a shortage of specialized machinery.
