Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez reported Monday on progress in the energy transition program aimed at achieving greater energy sovereignty.
“It is estimated that renewable energy penetration should reach 15 percent this year, reaching 24 percent by 2030,” he explained on social media.
He also specified that the goal is to reach 40 percent by 2035, which could eliminate fuel imports. “The plan envisions reaching 100 percent renewable energy use by 2050,” he added.
The strategy envisions that, by 2035, 40 percent of demand will be met by clean energy sources, allowing for the cessation of fuel imports, with the ultimate goal of achieving 100 percent renewable energy supply by 2050.
This roadmap is being implemented against a backdrop of instability in the national electricity system, exacerbated by hydrocarbon shortages. The current situation stems from an executive order issued by the U.S. administration in late January by President Donald Trump, which designates Cuba as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security.
This measure, rejected by both the Cuban government and people, as well as by various leaders, citizens, and organizations worldwide, threatens to impose punitive tariffs on third countries that supply crude oil to Cuba, thus hindering the regular flow of energy to the Caribbean nation.
To counteract external pressures, the Cuban state is combining the development of sustainable infrastructure with the strengthening of the conventional system. The nation is making progress in the construction of photovoltaic parks and the deployment of renewable energy kits in various strategic sectors.
Along these same lines, Cuba recently put into operation its first solar park with energy storage. This is the “General Ángel del Castillo Agramonte” park, located in the municipality of Majagua, Ciego de Ávila province.
This facility became the first of its kind in the country to integrate a battery storage system, combining a power output of five megawatts (MW) with an energy storage capacity of one MW.
Cuba is also carrying out rehabilitation work on the units of thermoelectric power plants with the aim of recovering thermal generation capacity and stabilizing the electricity supply throughout the country.
As a complement to this strategic plan, Cuba is focusing its efforts on increasing domestic oil production and utilizing associated gas. These actions aim to guarantee the operational capacity of the national infrastructure in the face of external constraints.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA / teleSUR ]
