Camagüey, July 12 (ACN) The construction of the remaining two large 21.8-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic parks, of the three planned, and other similar projects, reaffirm today the importance that the electricity sector in the province of Camagüey places on greater use of photovoltaic solar energy, as part of the ongoing actions to shift the energy matrix from a dependence on fossil fuels.
The new sites, with equal generation capacity, are located in the La Cívica area, located north of this city, and in Ortigal, in the municipality of Florida, in the southwest, in line with the program being developed by the sector in the country focused on incorporating 1,000 MW into the National Electric System (SEN) through this renewable source, in collaboration with the People’s Republic of China.
Since last May, the Luaces solar park, located in Vertientes, has been supplying power to the SEN. This solar park is the first to be launched in Camagüey and the largest to date. It currently maintains a daily output of around 20 MW, depending on the radiation behavior during peak hours at midday.
Rolando González Rodríguez, investment director of the Camagüey Electric Company, assured the Cuban News Agency that the foundations for the containers, the primary and secondary windings, and the seven inverters have already been built at the La Cívica solar park. All the points that will be the legs of the panel tables have also been staked out.
These efforts are being carried out by crews from Construction and Assembly Company No. 2 and the Provincial Electric Company, the investor in the project. The civil works for the septic tank and the elevated water tank have also been completed, González Rodríguez explained. He pointed out that they have experienced delays due to a lack of pile driving equipment, a situation that changed after the arrival of one of these machines from Santa Clara, which will allow them to begin drilling the holes and subsequently cast the piles that form the table legs.
In Ortigal, Construction and Assembly Company No. 1 is working on clearing and leveling the land in temporary facilities. They already have two base locations to build the customer service facilities, including the cafeteria, and to have the vehicles, transportation, and work equipment, he noted.
This photovoltaic plant, the third 21 MW plant, is expected to be completed in December of this year, the executive said.
The Camagüey Electric Company subsequently plans to install another five MW plant in the municipality of Guáimaro, located in the eastern region, via the east, with a donation from China. This plant will have 1 MW of energy storage.
In the selected area, land clearing has begun, and work is underway on the topographic survey and engineering-geological study, followed by the implementation of the various projects, he commented.
The Camagüey-based entity’s investment actions in the current calendar also include the completion of the 2.2 MW photovoltaic park in the Lesca area, part of another 100 MW program using Chinese technology, which was halted due to the arrival of funding.
In this latest project, work will focus primarily on technological changes to some projects.
Looking ahead to the coming year, Camagüey is planning, in conjunction with Unión Eléctrica, the construction of three more photovoltaic parks on the outskirts of the capital municipality of Camagüey, the investment director emphasized.
The territory’s electricity sector currently has five other smaller parks in operation, with a combined generation capacity of between 11 and 12 MW. Together with the Luaces park in Vertientes, they contribute a total of 28 MW to the SEN (National Electricity System). This figure will increase with the addition of the two remaining 21.8 MW parks and the additional projects planned.
While still far from meeting the demand of this vast Cuban region—on the order of 140 and 150 MW during peak hours in the summer, for example—the projects underway seek to increase photovoltaic generation, thus incorporating approximately 60 MW in a first phase.
Camagüey, in line with the goals set by the Caribbean country, is committed to greater use of renewable sources in national electricity development, taking into account the benefits they provide, as they are clean, free of charge, and help reduce environmental pollution. Amid the tightening of the U.S. government’s economic, commercial, and financial blockade against the Caribbean nation, which limits access to fuel and resources essential to the functioning of the National Energy System (SEN), the expansion of solar energy use undoubtedly results in savings in financing invested in the annual purchase of millions of tons of oil abroad, which represent more than 40 percent of the hydrocarbons used in generation.
Source: www.acn.cu
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