Artemisa - The Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM), in the province of Artemisa, prioritizes environmental sustainability and the use of renewable sources for electricity generation in its work plans.

Thus, ZEDM's Business and Development Program is in line with government policies aimed at modifying forms of use of energy in Cuba and reducing dependency on fossil fuels, the Zone's website reports on Wednesday.

There is an established business for the generation of photovoltaic energy in the Zone: the branch of the totally foreign capital company from the UK, Mariel Solar Energy, which began the construction phase of its three parks and may reach a total generation capacity of 50 megawatts per hour (MWh), the report stresses.

Similarly, to achieve greater use of land, ZED also fosters the installation of solar panels on factory roofs and other buildings.

In the Logistics Activities Zone, for example, Cuban companies Mariel Logistic Services, TRD and Cimex manage extensive storage platforms, with more than 22,000 square meters of roofs.

A total of 9,480 photovoltaic panels have been fitted on them, with a total power of 2.4 MWh peak, which allows them to satisfy the demand of their operations and sell the surplus to the Cuban Electric Union. So far, TRD's logistics base has contributed 1.1 gigawatt hours (GWh) to the electric power system, while CIMEX's has reported a delivery of 900 MWh, the information added.

The largest of these photovoltaic panels, belonging to Mariel Logistics Services, generates an average of 138 MWh per month and its supply to the national grid exceeds 2.5 GWh.