Assembly of BESS Systems Advances in the Country

The Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Cueto, in the province of Holguín, is in its final assembly phase. It is expected that commissioning through load testing will begin in the coming days. This process, crucial for the stability of the National Electric System (SEN), requires the approval and technical assistance of Chinese advisors. The installation will have a capacity of 50 megawatts.

Regarding the rest of the concentrator unit program, the BESS in El Cotorro, Havana, is already in operation and is the first of its kind in Cuba. With its 50 MW, it has demonstrated its effectiveness during critical contingencies, such as the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant. It operates 24 hours a day, stores solar surpluses, and injects them into the grid at night.

For their part, the systems at Habana 220 kV — also in the capital — and the one in Bayamo, Granma, are in an advanced state of assembly. It is expected that, together with the Cueto and La Habana 220 systems, they will add 200 MW of regulation capacity for the country.

The generalization of these BESS systems gives the SEN greater resilience and maneuverability. Their response speed to frequency changes, together with the possibility of taking advantage of renewable surpluses to cover nighttime demand peaks, reduces fossil fuel consumption and minimizes impacts from unforeseen shutdowns of large generating units, thus raising the quality and stability of the electrical service.