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🇨🇺 Cuba /Energy & Infrastructure

Díaz-Canel visits key electricity facilities impacting national recovery

From Granma · (36m ago) Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel visited two key electricity sector facilities to assess their impact on national recovery.
  • The visits included a transformer factory aiming to increase production and a battery energy storage system nearing completion to stabilize the grid.
  • These initiatives aim to improve electricity quality and stability for the population and economy, despite material limitations exacerbated by the U.S. blockade.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel's recent inspection tour of vital energy sector entities underscores the government's unwavering commitment to strengthening Cuba's electrical infrastructure. The focus on the Latino Transformer Factory and the Cotorro Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) highlights a strategic approach to enhancing national energy security and reliability.

Dos entidades de la Unión Eléctrica cuya labor, en una, y pronta puesta en funcionamiento, de la otra, significarán un salto muy positivo en la calidad y estabilidad del servicio eléctrico a la población y la economía, fueron visitadas en la tarde de este viernes por el Primer Secretario del Comité Central del Partido y Presidente de la República, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.

— GranmaIntroduction to the article, highlighting the significance of the visited entities for improving electricity services.

The Latino Transformer Factory, a facility with a history dating back to Fidel Castro's initiative, is poised to significantly boost its output of essential single-phase transformers. These are critical for maintaining power supply to homes and businesses, directly impacting the daily lives of Cubans. The factory's unique position as the only one in the country with a complete manufacturing cycle, alongside recovery efforts in other provinces, demonstrates Cuba's self-reliance and ingenuity in overcoming material shortages.

El Jefe de Estado llegó primero a la Fábrica de Transformadores Latino, unidad empresarial de base (UEB) de la Empresa de Producciones Electromecánicas de la UNE que fabricará este año, en sus tres plantas, diez mil transformadores - entre nuevos y recuperados -, casi cinco mil más que el año anterior.

— GranmaDetailing the production goals of the Latino Transformer Factory during the President's visit.

The BESS project in Cotorro represents a leap forward in modernizing the National Electric System (SEN). With its substantial storage capacity, this facility will play a crucial role in mitigating grid fluctuations and preventing disruptive automatic frequency shutdowns. Such events not only strain infrastructure but also cause widespread inconvenience. The President's personal involvement signals the high priority placed on these projects for economic recovery and improved living standards.

El mandatario se trasladó luego hacia el área donde se concluye el Sistema de Almacenamiento de Energía en Baterías (BESS, por sus siglas en inglés) del Cotorro, una inversión que está al 93 por ciento y que con una capacidad de acumulación de 50 MW permitirá disminuir fluctuaciones en el Sistema Eléctrico Nacional y con ello sucesos como los Disparos Automáticos de Frecuencia (DAF), con su dañina carga de estrés a plantas y demás infraestructuras del SEN y la caída brusca de circuitos a cualquier hora del día.

— GranmaDescribing the BESS project and its expected benefits for the National Electric System.

Despite the persistent challenges posed by the U.S. economic blockade, which exacerbates material limitations, Cuba continues to innovate and invest in its energy sector. The dedication of the workforce and the strategic vision of the leadership, as exemplified by President Díaz-Canel's visit, are central to navigating these obstacles. This focus on energy independence and resilience is a testament to Cuba's determination to secure a stable future for its people, a narrative often overlooked in international reporting that tends to focus solely on the impact of external pressures.

La Latino es la única del país con ciclo completo de fabricación, pues las UEB de Villa Clara y de Manzanillo, cuya labor es inestimable para garantizar la disponibilidad de transformadores en medio de tantas limitaciones, se especializan en su recuperación, proceso que, no obstante, también se desarrolla en la capitalina.

— GranmaHighlighting the unique capabilities of the Latino factory and the recovery efforts in other locations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Granma in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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