The electricity supply options in Cuba and the potential role of nuclear energy

Cuba is poor in primary energy resources. After an economic crisis initiated in 1990, a recuperation process began in 1994, but in the electric sector we could not reach the 1989 generation level. A comparative assessment of different options to cover electricity demand until 2015 performed using DECADES tools shows that the most important options are: hydro, nuclear, biomass, combined cycle and combustion turbines. The nuclear power option in the evaluated electric system expansion cases can play an important economic and environment role. The introduction of one nuclear power plant will save 330 million dollars in the expansion of the national electricity system. Environment emissions calculations during the study period, taking into consideration only the generation step, show that only the introduction of one NPP until 2015 will produce significant environment benefits. With the assumption that in generation step hydro, nuclear and biomass plants do not produce emissions, if the amount of electricity generated by these plants during study period would be generated in conventional Oil Steam Boilers with typical emission factors for Cuban conditions, the CO2 emissions would increase in 26 millions tonnes, 576 thousand tonnes of SOx and 102 thousand tonnes of NOx. The NPP cover 80% of these reductions. (author)