Russian Minister of Energy Sergei Tsivilev met with his Cuban counterpart, Vicente de la O Levy, on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week. The topic of the negotiations was the restoration of the island nation's energy potential with the involvement of Russian companies, according to the press service of the Russian Ministry of Energy.
Sergei Tsivilev and Vicente de la O Levy discussed expanding cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector.
The Cuban authorities are interested in developing environmentally friendly renewable energy sources (which include sunlight, wind, water, geothermal heat, and biomass).
The ministry also reported that Tsivilev held a meeting with the Minister of Water Resources and Energy of Afghanistan, Abdul Latif Mansur. The parties considered the possibility of building small hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) on the territory of the South Asian state.
In addition, the Afghan minister raised the topic of Russia training personnel to work in the energy sector.
Unfinished "Juragua" NPP in Cuba
Soviet nuclear scientists helped Cuba solve the issue of energy shortages. In 1983, the construction of the "Juragua" NPP began 200 km from Havana. The project involved the construction of two power units with VVER-440 type reactors.
However, after the collapse of the USSR, construction was frozen. At the same time, the readiness of power unit No. 1 was about 97%, and power unit No. 2 was 30%.
Operating "Naglu" HPP in Afghanistan
Afghanistan's most powerful hydroelectric power station, "Naglu", is located 40 km from Kabul. Its construction was financed by the USSR and was under the control of Soviet specialists in the 1960s.
The capacity of the HPP is 100 MW, and the annual electricity generation is 2.6 kW⋅h. In 2006, the Russian company "Technopromexport" received a contract to modernize 2 generators and replace transformers for $32.5 million. The work was carried out from 2010 to 2012, and the funds for them were allocated by the World Bank.