Havana: Cuba is advancing with a China-backed initiative to install over 50 solar parks in 2025, aiming to generate more than 1,000 megawatts of electricity, the Energy Ministry announced late Wednesday. The update comes just days after the nation’s aging power grid collapsed, leaving millions without electricity.
In the most comprehensive progress report to date, energy officials confirmed that two solar parks—one in Havana and another in Cienfuegos—began operations in February. By the end of March, six additional parks are expected to be completed, bringing the total to eight and contributing 170 megawatts to the grid, according to Ovel Concepción Díaz, a senior renewable energy official at the Energy Ministry.
Cuba’s broader renewable energy strategy, launched in 2014, has gained momentum amid government efforts to revive the struggling economy and address public frustration over months of rolling blackouts. The long-term goal is to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity generation to 24% by 2030, up from the current 4%. To achieve this, the government plans to construct 92 solar parks, alongside battery storage systems, hydroelectric projects, and wind farms.
“That goal will be achieved before 2030, and the percentage [of renewable energy generation] may be slightly higher,” stated Rosell Guerra Campaña, Cuba’s director of renewable energy.
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China and Russia have stepped in to assist Cuba in managing its deepening energy crisis, which has seen four nationwide grid failures since October. Russia has pledged to support the modernization of three oil-fired power plants and the construction of a new 200-megawatt plant to strengthen the grid.
Additionally, Cuba and China reached an agreement last year for Beijing to aid in expanding the island’s solar energy infrastructure. While financial details remain undisclosed, China has confirmed it will donate materials and expertise for the construction of 22 additional solar parks, capable of generating 120 megawatts, starting this year.
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Cuban officials attribute the country’s ongoing energy struggles to the decades-old U.S. trade embargo and further restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who reinstated a hardline policy toward Havana.
