Solar Park with Battery Storage Inaugurated in Ciego de Ávila, First of Its Kind in the Country

With a capacity of five megawatts (MW) and a one MW battery storage system, the General Ángel del Castillo Agramonte solar photovoltaic park was inaugurated today in the municipality of Majagua, Ciego de Ávila, becoming the first of its kind in the country to integrate energy storage.

The facility constitutes the first synchronized project of the second stage of a 120 MW donation granted by the government of the People's Republic of China, which anticipates the implementation of 85 MW featuring storage capabilities.

This is the first park in the country with batteries out of the 120 MW donated; the previous seven did not have storage, explained Daniel Carrasco Camejo, director of the Integrated Project Management (DIP) of the Ciego de Ávila Electric Company, to the Cuban News Agency (ACN).

The park, the ninth in the province, brings the total installed solar capacity in the territory to over 100 MW, a figure close to the 120 MW demanded by the province during peak generation hours. The province now has the capacity to generate around 120 MW from photovoltaics alone, which is practically the territory's entire demand, highlighted Carrasco Camejo.

In addition to contributing one MW of power—with peaks of up to two MW—the battery system allows for the stabilization of voltage quality and regulates the frequency of the National Electric System (SEN), providing special benefits to the municipality.

Battery storage helps significantly when there are voltage issues, for example at the water pumping plant, and it can also create an energy island in the event of a disconnection from the SEN, the investor specified.

The park synchronized with the SEN on March 25th, fulfilling the commitment to generate power before the conclusion of the first quarter of the year. Despite instability in fuel supplies that affected the transport of aggregates and resources, delaying the construction phase by a month, the objective was achieved, Carrasco Camejo affirmed.

From the start of its stable contribution to the grid, the facility has generated up to six MW when combined with the battery, and an average of between 4.5 and 5.3 MW without it.

Several entities participated in the construction, with the Military Construction Union (UCM) serving as the main contractor—including the "El Vaquerito" brigade for earthworks—the Ciego de Ávila electric company for direct and alternating current wiring and the transmission line to the 33 kV substation, and the ATI Camagüey company for communications.

Furthermore, approximately 17 Chinese specialists from the Shanghai Electric company worked on the project alongside technicians from the Union Eléctrica de Cuba.

During the inauguration ceremony, led by Vicente de la O Levy, Minister of Energy and Mines; Julio Gómez Casanova, First Secretary of the Party in the province; and Alfre Menéndez Pérez, Governor; awards were presented to the entities and workers most outstanding in the construction and assembly of the renewable energy plant.

“For me, it is a great source of pride. I have spent 21 years representing the Ciego de Ávila Electric Company; we are going to set the best example of battle, showing that we are brave and we never give up,” declared Roseli Rodríguez Ramírez, a worker from the boiler shop who participated in the assembly of railings and cable trays.

The inauguration of the modern plant included Wushu demonstrations by the "Min Chih Tang" Chinese Association and the Ciego de Ávila Wushu School, as well as a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by the event's presiding officials.

The day in Majagua concluded with a call for workers to participate in the May Day parade under the slogans of “Homeland, Sovereignty, and Peace.”