A new photovoltaic solar park donated by China under the Belt and Road Initiative was inaugurated on Friday in the municipality of Santo Domingo, in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara. “La Criolla” is the third photovoltaic park donated by the Chinese government, with the other two located in Moron of Ciego de Avila and Miramar in Holguin. Together, the three parks generate 12 megawatt of energy and are already connected to the National Electric System.
The official handover ceremony was presided over by the Cuban Vice Prime Minister Ramiro Valdes Menendez and the Chinese ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui.
The “La Criolla” Photovoltaic Solar Park, about 300 kilometers east of the capital Havana, consists of 8,480 solar panels with an installed power capacity of 4.4 megawatt, capable of generating approximately 20 megawatt-hour daily, depending on solar radiation, which would be equivalent to saving 1,830 tons of fuel per year.
At the Friday inauguration ceremony, the Chinese ambassador highlighted that the project is one of the “important results” achieved through cooperation between China and Cuba within the Belt and Road Initiative.
He said Chinese-Cuban energy cooperation is a part of bilateral economic and trade relations. The diplomat thanked the efforts made by technicians from both countries, who have overcome challenges of high temperatures and intense heat in the project and closely collaborated in the project after the Chinese team arrived in Cuba at the beginning of this year.
Ma reiterated that China is willing to continue making contributions to the energy transformation in Cuba. He recalled that a few months ago the Chinese government donated 5,000 domestic photovoltaic solar energy generation systems to rural homes of Cuba.
Deborah Rivas, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment of Cuba, thanked the Chinese government on behalf of the people of Cuba for the international cooperation for the development of renewable energy source projects “that allow the change of our energy matrix and environmental protection.”
“On behalf of the government, the Communist Party and the people of Cuba, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for this assistance. This project is very important for our country’s economy and people, especially under the current complex energy situation,” she said.
Source: China Central Television (CCTV), Jun 9, 2024 古巴