The completion of the investments made by the country for the recovery of the national electricity system (SEN), and especially those from renewable sources (FRE), would allow the country’s commitment to reach 24 per cent (%) of generation from clean energy by 2030 to be fulfilled.

This was confirmed by Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines, in an interview with the Granma newspaper, in which he said that if the plans are fulfilled, this figure will also be far exceeded.

The programme foresees the inauguration of 92 photovoltaic solar parks throughout the country, 46 of them in the current year 2025, with a capacity of around 21 MW each.

According to the head of the programme, there are also investments planned to expand natural gas generation this year.

He said that today more than 330 megawatts (MW) are generated with this energy source, and there is still capacity for about 30 MW more, with the exploitation of a well to be drilled this year.

As for wind energy, De la O Levy explained that the Herradura 1 wind farm in Las Tunas was stopped due to non-payment of debts.

However, he said, all of these resources are in Cuba, and in the negotiation of the 1,000 MW, the completion of Herradura is included.

Payments are being made, technical assistance has arrived, and there is a schedule for the shipment of the pending items, which are in the minority, and for the commissioning of each wind turbine, said the minister.

This year, he predicted, we can have wind turbines up and running, and finish the first quarter of next year with everything pending, to complete 33 MW of wind power generation.

De la O Levy also referred to hydropower and stressed that there are some 170 units of generation from this source, which serve many homes in the country.

He said that some of the larger ones, 800 kilowatts (kW), and 500 kW, need to have things changed, but that has been a resounding success, especially because the people who benefit directly from them, take care of them and look after them.

In a recent analysis of this front, we calculated that we need a total of about 700,000 dollars for the parts that have to be found, and that is not a lot of money, because one of the small power plants alone costs half a million dollars, the minister said.

What is certain is that there is a high percentage of availability, he stressed.

According to the minister, there are plans to expand the grid: along with the supplies for the Herradura 1 wind farm, there are also plans to complete the small hydroelectric plant at the Alacranes dam, an investment that is still pending.