Cuban Energy Minister Presents Plan to Recover Power Generation System

Havana, July 17 (ACN) Cuban Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy submitted a government program to the Cuban Parliament on Thursday aimed at recovering the national power generation system, currently undergoing a severe slump with long power outages.

In the presence of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, the government official referred to the tense situation facing local thermal power generation units as a consequence of the lack of financing for their maintenance and sustainability.

The fall in the local fuel production and fuel import to generate electricity, along with financial restrictions are causes for the current crisis of the sector and for the urgency to implement the governmental plan, de la O Levy said, and stressed the need to undertake the urgent investment in power plants burning locally-produced fuels and advance the installation of renewable energy sources.

Despite the global economic crisis and the tightening of US anti-Cuba unilateral coercive measures, Cuba has prioritized its financial resources to recover the power generation sector, the Minister said and went on to announce a growth of local crude oil and natural gas production along with the setting up of solar parks.

The Cuban government official admitted that Cubans are still undergoing long hours without electricity which he described as an extremely complex issue. He said the government program has the challenge of advancing amidst unforeseen breakdowns of thermal power plants as a consequence of their poor technological conditions and the lack of stable fuel supply.

Finally, the Minister said tat the only way to overcome the current power crisis in Cuba is by developing renewable energy sources and recovering the local fuel production.lc