Renewable energy project signed in Havana

Renewable energy project signed in Havana

ZERUS
DEC 2012 PRESS RELEASE
– IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT SIGNED
IN HAVANA 30
TH
NOVEMBER
THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT HAS
CONSTITUTED THE BIGGEST JOINT VENTURE
INVOLVING A BRITISH COMPANY IN ALMOST HALF A CENTURY, IT WAS ANNOUNCED IN
HAVANA TODAY.
Highlights :
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Overall investment in five power plants totalling 150 MW and requiring
approximately US$ 250 million
Potential export to the UK of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of low
moisture high calorific biomass to UK power stations
The production of high quality activated carbon from a unique plant
marabu in Cuba
Development of a future agri-energy business with top quality arable
land that has fallen into disuse
Zerus SA – part of the Cuban sugar ministry - and Havana Energy Ltd have
formed into a joint venture to build a first 30 MW biomass power generation
plant at Ciro Redondo a sugar mill 400 kilometres from Havana..
The joint venture, the first in this sector, will develop the pilot plant at Ciro Redondo
while the agreement also extends to four further plants based on the island´s sugar
plantations.
The First 30MW biomass plant
Cuba today has 7% of its energy needs supplied by renewable energy sources and
the Cuban government is committed to increase this figure substantially in order to
reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
The Ministry of Sugar and the National Electricity Board have a strategy to increase
power generation in all its operating sugar mills to decentralise the grid and provide
power generation in areas which currently have weak supply.
Power Plants :
The joint venture will invest approximately US$ 50 million in the initial pilot plant and
a further US4 200 million for the other four plants. It is hoped that electricity
generation at Ciro Redondo will begin by 2015.
The chairman of Havana Energy, former UK Energy Minister Brian Wilson, said: “I
have a longstanding personal commitment to normalising commercial relations with
Cuba and I hope that this Joint Venture will encourage other British companies to
take an interest in the country.
´´It is exactly three years since the concept of this project was formed and it is a
tribute to the Cuban authorities that we have reached this point within a reasonable
timescale while allowing them to ensure that all of their own legitimate interests and
objectives are safeguarded¨¨.
The power plant will be fuelled partly from bagasse waste from the sugar mill during the
harvest season and partly by marabu - an invasive woody weed that covers large areas
of the country - for the rest of the year. Mr Wilson said that work being done on marabu
has the potential to “turn a massive problem for Cuba into a valuable asset”.
President of Zerus Snr. Carmelo commented ´The agreement we have completed is a
complement to the national investment efforts and the process of recuperating the sugar
cane production in our country. In the last few years, in agreement with various actions
approved by the Cuban government, the sugar sector has increased production by 20%
and reopened 11 sugar mills. In summary with all the actions already taken in the
achievement of the economic guidelines approved for the country, this new agreement
will increase the advance of recuperating the Cuban agro industrial sugar sector and will
be a new benchmark for the development of renewable energy from biomass..´
Biomass business
A great amount of work has been carried out in the commercial application of marabu,
including the opportunity to create a high value activated carbon by-product A trial to
learn how to harvest, chip and package marabu will be underway by the end of the year.
The company hope under the guidance of their Scientific director, Professor Peter Hall, to
have a trail reactor to produce activated carbon in Cuba early next year. Activated
carbon is a valuable commodity with a wide range of industrial applications, including
water and air cleaning, food processing, cosmetics, medicines and batteries. Marabu
has been found to the ideal precursor material, producing a particularly high-grade
product.
The intention is also to export marabu biomass to the UK, industrial trails by UK power
plants will be underway by the 2nd quarter next year.
Havana Energy, CEO, Andrew Macdonald said.”After working together with Zerus for
three years, this approval is an exciting moment for this great project. Generating low
carbon energy –saving on diesel - , producing more sugar, clearing marabu from
fertile land, employing people....it provides multiple value and for all concerned is a
privilege to work on´.
Future developments
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The company have agreed to organise a Agri-Energy bilateral conference early 2013
to discuss and evaluate the opportunites for the recovered agricultural land once its
is cleared of marabu. It is estimated that at least 1.5 million hectares of previously
arable land has been invested by marabu. Dr Keith Dawson Technical Director
commented “Cuba has enviable climate and soil resources and a skilled and
motivated workforce. With the required investment and introduction of new
agricultural technology our joint vision is to not only address the large food and
energy import imbalance, but move towards Cuba being a major agricultural exporter
again. This initiative is very timely in relation to both Cuban and global food security
and the joint venture is in an ideal position to play a leading role in the rejuvenation of
Cuban food production.
Both Havana Energy and Zerus extend their thanks for the support from the Cuba
Initiative, Scottish Development International, the Scottish Agricultural Colleges for
their assistance as well as Strathclyde and Sheffield Universities for their continued
research into the opportunities with marabou and activated carbon.
For more information on Havana Energy or the Cuban Renewable Energy visit
www.havana-energy.com or please contact:
Brian Wilson on +44 7876 390662 or Andrew MacDonald +44 7825012921
Note to the editors:
B rian Wils on
Chairman
Brian Wilson is a former Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom and remains a member of the Privy Council which is made up of senior serving and former politicians. Between 1997 and 2005, when he retired from politics, he held six government posts under Tony Blair including Scottish Education Minister, UK Trade Minister, UK Energy Minster and Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Overseas Trade.
He has MA Hons from Dundee University and University College, Cardiff, where he took a Postgraduate qualification in Journalism Studies. Before entering politics, Mr Wilson worked as a journalist and was the recipient of a number of awards. He has just been awarded UK Global Director of the 2011 by the Institute of Directors.
Andre w Macdonald
CEO and Director
Andrew Macdonald has over 13 years experience working throughout IberoAmerica and the Spanish markets within the USA, where he held regional executive positions for MaST and Jobshark Technologies. For the past six years he has worked in Cuba, firstly managing the Floridita brand in Europe and secondly developing a group of boutique hotels in unique areas of Cuba and the first integrated golf tourism centres which will be in partnership with MINTUR. His specific experience in energy includes preparing Eastern Electricity (UK) for privatization and whilst working for Fundacion Chile (NGO owned by the government) implementing ISO 9000 and 14000 in the hydro electricity sector as well as reviewing the pricing models of electricity generated from hydro. Andrew holds a BSc and an MBA from Cambridge University.
Dr Ke ith Daws on
Technical Director
A widely experienced agricultural technologist and business leader. He has over thirty years experience in crop production and an excellent reputation in the UK industry, in Eastern Europe, Africa and globally. Dr Dawson has a proven track record of business building, research, market development and innovation in crop production and land acquisition. He has worked for UK and Scottish Government and in multinational agribusinesses for BASF and Shell Agriculture over the last twenty five years. Over the last decade he has established significant consultancy and several business start ups in the EU and Eastern Europe valued from £10‐£200m. In particular Dr Dawson has been an essential principal in raising and implementing over £200m of investment in land acquisition and development in Eastern Europe over the last five years as a director with LKI PLC , ProCam Polska and Continental Farmers Group PLC. This has led to acquisition and development of over 120,000ha of new agricultural cropped land in Poland and the Ukraine and the successful launch of two AIM listed companies on the London Stock Exchange, as well as third party JVs and private placements.
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P rofe s s or P e ter Hall
Director
Peter has over thirty years of experience in energy research and development and is professor of energy storage at Sheffield University, having previously spent 20 years at Strathclyde University. He graduated in Theoretical Physics (BSc Hons) from Durham University, in Philosophy (MLitt) from Newcastle University and obtained his PhD in applied chemistry from Newcastle University. He worked for two years in Halley Base in Antarctica, where he made the first pre‐Spring tropospheric ozone measurements that led to the discovery of the ozone hole. His current positions of responsibility include membership of the European Energy Research Alliance management committee, the Royal Society of Chemistry Energy Storage Steering Committee and the International Energy Agency international experts committee for hydrogen storage. He has over 100 scientific and engineering papers published in energy related refereed journals and is widely regarded as one of the leading international experts in energy storage and conversion.
Dav id Wright
Director
David has over 30 years experience in the retail fashion sector. He built up two large retail groups, one in ladies fashion has 40 units and the other which he sold a number of years ago in surf ware. He has been active in the technology sector and is a director of Hotech Edge Ltd and Hyperfactory. He is actively involved and is a significant shareholder in the Hallenstein Glasson Group, a company that leads mens retailing in New Zealand and is now expanding abroad from its base of 150 stores. He has a B.Com in marketing from Auckland University.
Ge o rge Taylor
Director
George is a third generation farmer who after two years with the Velcourt Farming Group returned home aged 22 and set up Taypack Potatoes Ltd as a diversification to the family business. At its peak, Taypack reached a turnover of £36m and an annual throughput of around 135,000 tonnes of fresh potatoes.
George is Chief Executive of Taylors Regional Foods Ltd, producing a comprehensive range of food and drink products from suppliers across the UK. In addition he is a co‐founder of Continental Farmers Group plc which now owns large scale farming operations in both Poland and Ukraine and owns Taylor Transport Ltd, a fresh produce haulage company. 05 December 2012
Havana Energy & Bio Power SA • Information Memorandum
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