Cuba upgrades power plant with Chinese technology

Havana, April 16 (IANS) Cuba was renovating its oldest hydroelectric plant with Chinese parts and technology, media reports said.

The Salto Piloto Plant would be upgraded with two 270 kilowatts (KW) turbines manufactured in China, reported Xinhua citing Havana's Radio Reloj.

The century-old plant was built to supply power to the city of Pinar del Rio, some 150 km west of Havana.

The Pinar del Rio province has 10 hydroelectric plants that are part of the government's push to generate renewable energy in order to protect the environment.

Mario Alberto Arrastia, an expert, said the island country, which currently has 180 hydroelectric plants that produce some 65 megawatts of electricity a day, has the potential to produce 10 times more.