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Energy revolution guarantees supply
but demands savings
BY NAVIL GARCIA ALFONSO—Granma International staff
writer—
SAVINGS is the key word in the Energy Revolution
that, after a year of major effort, is showing
results in all sectors of the country’s economy.
Stability in electricity and the elimination of
power cuts was attained in Cuba in mid-2006.
Jorge Luis Coterón, one of the directors of the
Electrical Union, affirms that the country has the
capacity to generate enough energy to cover national
demand at points of maximum consumption. Currently
that demand stands at approximately 2,600 megavolts.
That
is mainly due to changes in the generation system
with the installation of diesel generators – that
take on part of generation during peak hours – and
others fired by fuel oil that can produce large
volumes of the country’s total energy.
Currently, those small producers of energy are
contributing more than 1,000 MW to the national
network.
“One
of the many advantages of those generators lies in
their profitability in terms of producing energy,
given that their fuel consumption is inferior to
that of the thermoelectric plants and a failure in
their small unit capacities does not affect the
system, as was the case with the thermoelectric
plants when they suffered a leak,” Coterón noted.
With
this type of distributed generation energy is
supplied very close to consumers and thus losses in
the transmission systems are lessening considerably.
Approximately 15% of energy produced is lost in the
transmission and distribution system. That is mainly
due to the poor state of a large section of the
electrical networks, overloading of transformers and
the inadequate caliber of the conductors.
Rehabilitation of the electrical networks started 12
months ago in order to reduce those losses to a
minimum once the program is concluded in the next 18
months.
“We
still have to sort out 30-40% of the low voltage
areas identified in the country. There the present
cables are being changed for others of better
caliber and more powerful transformers are being
installed. That task will be completed by June this
year,” the Cuban official informed us.
Another of the principal actions has been the
increase of electrical generation capacity in gas
turbines by using this fuel that accompanies Cuban
crude; as well as adapting the Santa Cruz del Norte
thermoelectric plant in Habana province so that all
its units can operate with a dual system of
crude/fuel and gas.
At
this time natural gas accompanying Cuban crude is
being used to produce electrical energy and supply
domestic gas for cooking to half a million
inhabitants in the country’s capital.
The
Cuban-Canadian joint venture ENERGAS is guaranteeing
the processing of the gas, via which around 500 MW
are injected into the electrical system.
That
is having both a significant economic effect and
important repercussions in relation to environmental
protection. Formerly, gas was burned in the
atmosphere and not used productively.
Research into exploiting the wind as a renewable
source of electrical energy began recently. There
are plans to introduce a certain volume of Aeolian
energy to the national network in 2007. In the case
of hydraulics, work is underway to achieve a better
utilization of the country’s potential and increase
its application.
“These and other investments to optimize the
electricity infrastructure are being economically
recouped, based on saving the fuels consumed by the
sector,” Coterón added, “for that it is essential to
save every drop of fuel.”
“Consuming just what is needed means being able to
utilize money required to buy additional fuel in
continuing to improve the networks, raise the
quality of the electricity service and improve the
population’s standard of living,” he said.
“During this stage of the year, consumption has
increased, to a large extent because of the change
in hour. It is now getting dark earlier and so the
beginning of mass consumption of electricity as a
means of cooking and light has been brought forward,
but while the country is in a position to cover the
maximum demand, there must be rational use of that
energy.”
Changing high consumption electro-domestic items for
more efficient ones has produced good results in the
behavior of demand now that electricity consumption
has been stabilized.
“We
can now say that there are no more power cuts in
Cuba due to lack of generation; we have already
overcome that stage. At this point the National
Electricity System is better prepared to meet the
demand of the residential and state sectors.”
At global level, improvements in
generation must be based on sustainable development
criteria. We cannot produce in order to waste; no
economy in the world or the environment could
support that.
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