Indian electricity utility NTPC Ltd has invited bids from international developers for 900 MW solar PV capacity in Cuba as it works with local electricity generator Union Electrica de Cuba (UNE) to implement the same in its capacity as a corporate partner of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
This 900 MW capacity will be realized through several solar PV parks to be located across 175 locations in all of 15 Cuban provinces. NTPC said it will support UNE and the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) to select suitable developers, enter project agreements and oversee project implementation till the commissioning stage under International Solar Alliance (ISA) Program-6.
Without sharing more details about the call, NTPC said the tender process with request for qualification (RFQ) round will commence from March 2022 and complete by May 2022.
A corporate partner of the ISA, NTPC was selected as the preferred partner by the Cuban government to implement 900 MW capacity and claims it to be a part of 2.1 GW of solar project implementation target of Cuba.
As per its Policy for the Development of Renewable Sources and Efficient Use of Energy, Cuba aims to install 700 MW each of onshore wind, solar PV and biomass to ensure 2.1 GW renewables capacity deployment by 2030 to lower its GHG emissions, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Dependent on imported oil to meet its electricity requirements, Cuba targets to generate 24% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, but IRENA estimates its potential to deploy as much as 14 GW solar and up to 2 GW wind energy capacity to reduce its fossil fuel dependence in the power sector.
IRENA counts the Central American nation's total renewable energy capacity at the end of 2020 as having reached 1.198 GW, with solar PV contributing an estimated 163 MW.
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