The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, visited two entities of the Unión Eléctrica (UNE) on Friday afternoon. The ongoing operations at one and the imminent startup of the other are expected to signify a positive leap in the quality and stability of electrical service for both the population and the economy.
The Head of State first arrived at the Latino Transformer Factory, a business unit of the UNE’s Electromechanical Production Company. This year, the facility aims to produce 10,000 transformers—both new and recovered—across its three plants, nearly 5,000 more than the previous year.
The President then moved to the area where the Cotorro Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is nearing completion. The investment is currently at 93 percent. With a storage capacity of 50 MW, it will mitigate fluctuations in the National Electric System (SEN), thereby reducing events such as Automatic Frequency Load Shedding (DAF), which places harmful stress on plants and infrastructure and causes abrupt circuit failures.
The Cuban President was accompanied by the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de La O Levy, and the Director General of the UNE, Engineer Rubén Campos Olmos, among other executives.
A Factory in Constant Transformation
Inaugurated in 1987 at the initiative of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, the Latino factory specializes in manufacturing single-phase units. These are the transformers installed in residential neighborhoods; therefore, a breakdown directly impacts households. "Having this equipment available is a relief that everyone appreciates," officials noted.
For 2026, the UNE plans to deliver 10,000 units. Raw materials have been secured for a program where "what prevails is the inventiveness and solutions of these collectives." Despite the limitations of the U.S. economic blockade, this network has provided Cuba with a level of technological sovereignty in the area. Last year, although material shortages limited production to 5,500 units, workers managed to save the country nearly 20 million dollars.
During the exchange, President Díaz-Canel emphasized the factory's autonomy and evaluated progress in digital transformation, automation, and the use of Artificial Intelligence to modernize design processes despite aging machinery.
BESS Systems: A Qualitative Leap for the SEN
At the Cotorro BESS site, located adjacent to the local electrical substation, Díaz-Canel verified the progress of a project where both civil engineering and technological assembly are nearly finished.
This facility, alongside three others in Havana, Holguín, and Granma, will provide a combined storage capacity of 200 MW. According to Engineer Onasis Trujillo Núñez, this investment signifies a qualitative leap in the robustness of the SEN. "It will allow for the successful fulfillment of the photovoltaic program of around 2,000 MW," Trujillo explained, noting that the batteries will stabilize the total capacity generated by solar panel parks. (CubaSí)
