• Cuba has become host to a 10 MW solar power plant that has the capacity to generate enough clean energy to suffice electricity needs of around 7,000 Cuban homes
  • Out of the total project cost, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has provided $15 million, under IRENA/ADFD project facility
  • The Government of Cuba has invested remaining amount for the solar power project

A 10 MW solar PV power plant has been energized in Cuba that was financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) under the second project facility of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and ADFD. The grid connected plant was inaugurated by the Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines.

Under the IRENA/ADFD project facility, the plant received $15 million from ADFD with the remaining money coming from the Government of Cuba. Power generated will be enough for some 7,000 homes.

The press release from IRENA and ADFD are short on details as to location, project cost or expected output

Cuba aims to increase the share of renewables in the total energy mix to 24% by 2030. A May 2019 report by China’s Xinhuanet referred to a statement of Tatiana Amaran Bogachova, General Director of the Electricity Department at Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines as saying that PV solar generation contributes 1.15% of the country’s total consumption.

Renewable energy supports energy security, creates jobs and contributes to emission reductions. This 10 MW project sets Cuba on a positive pathway to meeting these objectives and demonstrates that through strategic cooperation we can inject momentum into the energy transition,” said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA  at the inauguration.

In March 2018, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) approved a $45 million public sector loan for 2 PV plants in eastern Cuba (see OPEC Funds Cuban PV Projects).