Eurasia Press & News
This Turkish plant is moored in the bay of Havana and will provide about 130 megawatts to the national electric system, to which it was connected through the Melones substation.
Energy Minister Livan Arronde announced that a new floating power plant arrived in Cuba on November 18 and will come into operation shortly to ensure the energy supply in his country.
This plant is moored in the bay of Havana and will provide about 130 megawatts (MW) to the National Electric System (SEN), to which it was connected through the Melones substation.
“The adjustment and start-up phase begins”, Arronte said, adding that the power of this plant will allow scheduled maintenance to be carried out in other plants, which will facilitate the recovery of generation capacities.
The new power plant is a large barge with seven engines manufactured by Karpowership, a subsidiary company of the Turkish energy group Karadeniz. In recent years, Cuba also acquired three other Turkish mobile power plants, all of which are located in Mariel Bay and contribute about 200 MW to the SEN.
Since the 1990s, Cuba has faced power outages that often last several hours a day. This situation is a direct consequence of the U.S. blockade that prevents the Revolutionary government from buying machines, spare parts, supplies, and fuel.
The last massive blackout took place in September, when the provinces of Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo were left in darkness, affecting about 30 percent of the country’s population.
Currently, Cuba depends on foreign oil to produce energy. However, by 2030, this Caribbean island aims to rebalance its energy matrix through renewable sources, which are expected to provide up to 37 percent of national energy needs.
