The photovoltaic solar parks (PSF) in Granma province successfully withstood the strong winds of Hurricane Melissa as it passed through eastern Cuba.
Thanks to the measures taken to protect the sites—both those already operational and those still under construction—the impact of the powerful cyclone was minimal, Livan Guevara Valverde, director of investments for the province’s Electric Company, told the Cuban News Agency in an exclusive interview.
He detailed that the Juan Pérez Dos and Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán solar parks, both with a capacity of 21.87 megawatts (MW) and located in the municipalities of Niquero and Río Cauto, respectively, reported no damage.
At the La Sabana solar park, with the same capacity and located on the outskirts of the city of Bayamo, Storm Melissa broke a table with 26 panels and damaged two other isolated panels, which are currently being replaced, he emphasized.
The hydrometeorological event, he said, damaged only 19 of the 4,160 panels installed in the fourth solar park, with a capacity of 21.87 MW, currently under construction in Las Tapias, on the outskirts of the coastal city of Manzanillo.
Guevara Valverde reported that at the 5 MW installation located in Yara, which was recently synchronized to the National Electric System (SEN) on the 11th, 47 isolated panels were damaged, out of a total of more than 9,000.
The PSF infrastructure in Granma is completed by investments located in Río Cauto and Cauto Cristo (one per capita), Bayamo (two), and Jiguaní (three), from which no outages have been reported, he emphasized.
The official asserted that all of these facilities are ready to be activated and connected to the National Electric System (SEN).
He explained that Wednesday’s rains prevented progress in the review of the province’s electrical infrastructure to assess its condition after Tropical Storm Melissa, a task currently underway with the support of two contingents of electrical workers from Matanzas and Villa Clara.
As part of the recovery efforts, a microsystem is operational in Manzanillo, providing service to hospitals in that city, while work is underway to bring a similar system online in Bayamo, he added.
IMAGE CREDIT: Orlando Fombellida Claro | Photos: Granma Newspaper Website
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
