Vol. XII, No. 1 www.cubatradenews.com January 2010 Cuba exporting its Energy Revolution urning itself into an export platform to the ALBA Presidente TV show. Tbloc and beyond, Cuba has supplied Venezuela and With the technology transfer, Cuba helps the South other countries with 43 mini power plants over the past two American country plug gaps in electricity production caused years and is in the process of bringing in some 30 more, by a drought. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced on his Aló During his show, Chávez officially opened a $9 million, 15-mw electric plant on Margarita Island. “This is plant No. 43 we have installed,” the president said during the opening ceremony of the 8-generator battery, adding that over the Power Surge next two months, Venezuela plans to crank up one new power Cuban-installed generator clusters plant every other day. and electric work crews abroad In December, the Venezuelan electric energy ministry and Corpoelec signed an agreement for training of Venezuelan technicians by Cuba. As part of its “Energy Revolution,” Cuba has bought hundreds of generators since 2006 from manufacturers such as Guascor, Hyundai, MAN B&W, and MTU, and plans to install at least another seven fuel-oil generator clusters on the island this year. The country is now propagating its distributed power generation concept as a model for fellow ALBA member countries and other developing nations. According to official generator news agency AIN, Cuba already provided seven mini power clusters plants to Nicaragua, which has begun to export electricity Electric work crews thanks to a Cuban-inspired decentralized power generation map CTIN Continued on next page Picasso, Warhol & Miró go INSIDE to Havana Opinion: Turning the Tables..................................page 3 Government investigates patient deaths...............page 5 U.S. oil group comes out of Cuba closet...............page 7 Page 8 Canadian airlines get broader access...................page 8 Cuba builds new gas power plant.......................page 11 Cuban doctors have big impact in Haiti..............page 3 ‘Energy Revolution exports,’ from previous page All tanks, boilers, chimneys, and other metal parts at the new program, and one Ariguanabo power plant near Havana were supplied by the 6 0 - m w p o w e r Unidad Empresarial de Base Este Habana, and the generator plant to Haiti. cluster was set up by Empresa de Mantenimiento a Centrales Likewise, Cuban Eléctricas (EMCE). electric engineering Cuba has also provided Venezuela, Jamaica, St. Vincent teams are working and Grenadines, and Antigua & Barbuda with millions of in Ecuador and Chinese-made energy-saving light bulbs. Equatorial Guinea Venezuela is generating 70 percent of its electricity with in Africa. hydro power. Low water levels in reservoirs has forced the Official sources government into rolling blackouts. Generator cluster courtesy Guascor didn’t say where Referring to opposition accusations of giving away energy the generators for to Cuba in times of need, Chávez said that “the thing is Venezuela were bought, and who paid for them. But the eight backwards. The Cubans have spent two years helping us in generators installed on Margarita Island are made by MTU; the Energy Revolution.” some 300 BR4000 container generators made by MTU — a type Cuba has bought for use on the island — have been installed in Venezuela. One industry observer speculated photo: Venevision that Cuba simply resold some of the hundreds of generators it bought a couple years back. Isla Margarita The projects in Venezuela are handled by Alba Bolivariana, Caracas Cuban-installed a Cuban-Venezuelan joint venture. Venezuela has funded MTU generator most of the ALBA energy programs. sets on Isla Meanwhile, Cuba for the first time produced all additional Margarita metal structures of a generator set, official media announced. V e n e z u e l a Note from the Publisher he inevitable result of the economic and political challenges over the last few years is a call for reform, Cuba Trade & Investment News is a monthly publica- andT a thorough look at the practices and policies that may tion of Trade & Investment Publications LLC (TIPs), Tampa, FL, USA. CTIN is distributed to subscribers via have contributed to the problems. In the United States, the mail or e-mail. news has been filled with talk of reform — health care, finance, campaign finance, immigration and more. Publisher Andrew Goddard Change means opportunity. This issue of Cuba Trade & P.O. Box 13752 Investment News puts the spotlight on how Cuba is beginning Tampa, FL 33681-3752 USA to export one of its recent reforms: the “Energy Revolution.” Tel: 813 839 6988 The island is bringing its concept of distributed electricity Fax: 813 831 3811 production to Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti. That, in turn, [email protected] translates to hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment and www.cubatradenews.com Editor Johannes Werner engineering services sales, in which foreign companies are Tel: 941 330 0303 involved. Ecuador, Bolivia, and some Caribbean and African [email protected] nations may follow — even more opportunity. Another top “export” for Cuba is disaster relief and Editorial Advisors sustainable medical aid for poor countries. Note our coverage Chris Aberle, FCStone, Des Moines on Cuba’s tremendous involvement in Haiti relief. Kirby Jones, US-Cuba Trade Assn., Wash. DC We hope you will find this issue of our publication as David Lyons, Daily Bus. Review, Miami provocative, informative and useful as ever and will let us John McAuliff, FFRD, New York know what you think by writing me. Phil Peters, Lexington Institute, Washington SUBSCRIPTIONS Call 813 839 6988. One year $350. In Canada and Mexico, add $15 postage. COPYRIGHT NOTICE No part of this publication Andrew Goddard — [email protected] may be copied, photographed or duplicated without TIPs’ consent. 2 Other Views Earthquake relief La Alborada Cuban doctors take center stage in Haiti Cuba has played a crucial role in relief efforts after the Jan. 12 earthquake Turning the Tables devastated the Haitian capital, Port au Prince. This episode will further Cuba’s medical support for poor countries — both in relief efforts and in long-term sustained medical programs — as developed nations magine the following scenario: are beginning to recognize that the Caribbean island has a global edge in a service The United States arrests in that faces increasing demand. WashingtonI a Cuban citizen who was granted a visa for religious epidemiologist and eight nurses were activities. As it turns out, the on board. suspect was distributing electronic The Cuban facilities serve as a focus communications equipment to certain point for assistance from other nations as people and groups in Washington well. More than 120 medical personnel known to be opponents of the and 17 nuns from Canada, Chile, Spain, government and close to the Cuban Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela are embassy. Investigation reveals that using Cuban infrastructure, working side the suspect was a subcontractor of by side with Cuban doctors. a Cuban company that in turn was Cuban doctors at a Port au Prince ALBA members agreed during an operating under contract with Cuba’s hospital photo Prensa Latina emergency meeting in Caracas Jan. 24 Ministry of Foreign Affairs. to send doctors, nurses and supplies The company, which implements uba has “provided the most to Cuban facilities in Haiti. They also Cuban government contracts in Cimportant medical assistance” considered creating a reconstruction dozens of countries, declares to the in the immediate disaster response, the fund for Haiti, via the Banco del ALBA. media that all was above board and in United Nations recognized. As of late Venezuela agreed to provide free fuel to the open. The subcontractor, company January, Cuban facilities had attended Haiti, via the PetroCaribe agreement. officers explain, was only helping more than 20,000 Haitian patients Continued on next page members of the public in the United and performed nearly 2,000 surgical States to communicate better among procedures. themselves and with unspecified Three hundred and forty four Cuban Triangulation affinity groups in Cuba. The contract doctors, nurses and medical technicians Continuing the increasing at issue, worth millions of dollars, were already on the ground in Haiti — trend among wealthier nations of has the purpose of helping people 200 of them in the heavy-hit capital triangulating with Cuba to channel in the United States to build a real — when the earthquake struck, and aid to poorer developing countries, democracy, free from the domination they began to operate three treatment Norway agreed to donate 5 million of large banks and corporations facilities in Port au Prince within a Norwegian kronor ($885,000) to defended by a repressive security matter of hours. Cuba established a fund Cuban medical efforts in Haiti. apparatus. What’s wrong with that? mini-air bridge from Santiago and The Norwegian embassy in Havana The Cuban company’s officers, was able to airlift another 66 medical signed an agreement Jan. 22 with media, and Ministry of Foreign personnel, most of them from the Cuba’s foreign trade and investment Affairs profess not to understand Henry Reeve mobile medical brigade, ministry. Cuba will use the funds for why the United States would want into Haiti the day after the disaster, the purchase of medical supplies. to arrest the subcontractor. Is the increasing the number of Cuban-run Meanwhile, the New Times of U.S. government so touchy and facilities in and near the capital to 10, Rwanda reported that South Africa insecure that it prohibits expert help plus one “itinerant medical brigade.” donated $1 million towards facilitating in building freedom and democracy? One week later, Cuba flew in 138 continued Cuban support to Rwanda. Does it fear modern communications medical students of Haitian origin who The funds help pay for the expenses technology, and innocent assistance are studying in Santiago, together with of 31 Cuban doctors, nurses and from well-intentioned agents of the a mobile hospital and medical supplies.