Cuba powers up with Chinese solar amid blackout crisis

Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines has announced that eight new solar parks will be operational by March 2025, utilizing Chinese technology. These facilities will generate over 170 megawatts, helping to address the ongoing energy crisis that has plagued the island with frequent blackouts, Azernews reports, citing the Rio Times.

Officials aim to establish 92 solar parks by 2028, targeting 2,000 megawatts of capacity to transform the country’s grid, which is heavily reliant on fossil fuels. This ambitious plan is unfolding amid severe energy shortages, with Cuba experiencing power outages that can last up to 20 hours a day.

Cuba’s aging thermoelectric plants, which consume 8 million tons of fuel annually but only produce 3 million tons domestically, are struggling to keep up. Imports to meet the deficit drain scarce financial resources, a situation worsened by the U.S. embargo, which limits the country’s access to necessary resources.

Progress is accelerating, with six new solar parks adding 131.2 megawatts this month alone. Two parks in Havana and Cienfuegos were completed in February, and four more storage facilities, each with 50 megawatts of capacity, have been added to help balance the variability of solar energy, ensuring greater stability for the grid.

Experts point out that Cuba's abundant sunshine, wind, and biomass resources are key advantages in this energy transition. The government is also committed to expanding solar capacity, planning to install three to four parks per province, with an eye on achieving a 24% share of renewable energy by 2030.

At present, Cuba has reached a milestone of 1,000 megawatts of renewable capacity, representing 8% of the country’s energy needs. Looking forward, there are hopes for greater energy independence, with plans to tap into local oil and gas resources. However, officials acknowledge that maintaining and upgrading the country’s old thermoelectric plants will remain critical to ensuring a reliable energy supply.

This ambitious shift towards renewable energy represents not just an effort to address Cuba's immediate energy crisis, but also a long-term strategy for reducing its dependence on imports and fossil fuels. The success of this transition could have far-reaching implications for the island’s economic future and its ability to navigate both domestic challenges and international tensions.