Four years into the "Energy Revolution," Point 4 of the five-point plan
is shifting into high gear: As part of an overhaul of its aging
thermoelectric plants, Cuba is now converting at least three power
plants from sulfur-heavy domestic fuel oil to natural gas.
The Energy Revolution consists of a five-point program — creating
energy-savings programs, building a generator-based distributed-energy
system, fixing the grid, overhauling thermoelectric plants, and adding
renewable-energy sources.
Two of the gas-conversion projects benefit from the construction of a
liquefied-gas import infrastructure, with a keystone $400 million
Venezuelan-Cuban regasification plant at the port of Cienfuegos. The
plant, operated by the Cuvenpetrol S.A. joint venture, will allow Cuba
to import natural gas on tankers not only from Venezuela, which is
currently building its own gas infrastructure, but from potential
suppliers such as Bolivia, Trinidad & Tobago, Angola or Nigeria.
Prices for natural gas have plummeted worldwide as a result of the
increasing availability of shale gas.
Alstom Power Systems, the Swiss subsidiary of the French company that
built the Antonio Guiteras power plant in 1986, is converting one block
of the 330-mw thermoelectric plant in Matanzas province. The $35 million
gas conversion follows a $49 million overhaul, also by Alstom, of
fuel-oil powered blocks at the same plant.
The basic industries ministry is also seeking bids to convert Block 3 of
the 158-mw Carlos Manuel de Céspedes thermoelectric plant in Cienfuegos
from fuel oil to gas. Hitachi Thermo and Hydro Power Systems just
completed a $40 million overhaul of Block 4 at that plant.
Meanwhile, the 300-mw Este de La Habana thermoelectric plant in Santa
Cruz del Norte has converted two blocks to gas, and is currently adding
a 220-mw combined-cycle unit. All three blocks use natural gas from a
nearby oil field.
The two Energas combined-cycle plants at Varadero and Boca de Jaruco
also use locally produced natural gas. The joint venture plants, with a
total capacity of 300 mw, are operated by Sherritt International Corp.
In the long term, Cuba plans to replace imported gas in its power plants
with domestically produced gas.
http://www.cubastandard.com/2010/11/08/cuba-converting-power-plants-to-gas/
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