Русский
Russian energy companies could help modernize and restore the Cuban energy system, the Russian Energy Ministry said following a meeting between Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev and Cuban Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga.
The parties discussed the involvement of Russian companies in the construction of a new 200 MW power unit and overhauling existing 100 MW power units.
In November 2024, the Russian government published an order according to which Inter RAO-Export LLC and Gestion de Proyectos LLC, which are both divisions of Russian energy group Inter RAO, might participate in projects to modernize thermal power plants in Cuba with a combined capacity of 600 MW, as well as the construction of solar farms.
There are plans to build one 200 MW generating unit at the Eastern Havana plant, provide technical assistance and supply spare parts for the overhaul of four existing 100 MW generating units at the Antonio Maceo, Maximo Gomez, and Eastern Havana power plants, and build solar farms, according to the document.
An agreement to provide Cuba with a state export credit of up to US$1.38 billion for the Maximo Gomez and Eastern Havana power plant projects was signed in 2015. The money was supposed to be used from 2016 to 2024, and Cuba is supposed to repay the loan over 10 years, with the first payments being made a year after the launch of the generating units, the initial deadline for which was February 1, 2025. In 2023, Russia allowed Cuba to defer payments on the loan.
Cuba suffered an energy crisis in October 2024 due to the failure of its largest power plant and Hurricane Oscar. Up to 90% of the island’s population was left without power for days, and only healthcare institutions and companies involved in food production continued to operate. Cuba has been sanctioned by the United States since October 1960. It became a BRICS partner nation from January this year.
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