By Armando Sáez Chávez—Granma daily—

 CIENFUEGOS.— This province is going to become a real center of industrial development in Cuba and all of Latin America, affirmed President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as he “pre-inaugurated” the Camilo Cienfuegos oil refinery here.

At a ceremony that also included the presence of Political Bureau members Carlos Lage and Yadira García, as well as Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque, and Roberto Morales Ojeda, first secretary of the Party in Cienfuegos, and other leaders and guests, Chávez congratulated the workers of the Cuban-Venezuelan joint enterprise PDVSA-CUPET on the efficiency they have achieved during this initial stage. The refinery is expected to begin operating at the end of this year with a processing capacity of 65,000 barrels of crude daily.

The Venezuelan president noted that the facility is a concrete example of the fulfillment of agreements signed by various countries as part of the ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas), and that it marks a milestone in undertaking integration projects in the region.

Chávez said that with the start of the refinery’s operations in December, the cornerstone will have been set for what will be a large petrochemical complex. At that time, he said, construction will begin on a re-gasifying plant using gas from Venezuelan sources.

The distinguished visitor spoke at length about the benefits of gas as a potential energy source for operating electric power generating plants, with plans for building these in Cuba. It is a fuel with domestic and diverse industrial uses, such as manufacturing, as well as for the development of agricultural programs for raising potato, corn and sugar cane, as well as poultry and cattle.

It was also announced that this petrochemical complex would include the production of oil derivatives such as plastics for many applications, and would provide great prospects in housing construction.

Another line of production mentioned by Chávez as part of this industrial center is the future construction of a fertilizer plant, which would not only supply Cuban agriculture with that product, but also would provide products for export to the Caribbean region.

The new investments also would be directed at producing naphtha, an essential element for paint, cosmetics, cleaning materials and other products.

The Venezuelan president mentioned other possible short and medium-term projects as part of the ALBA. He said one that would soon be concretized is an underwater cable for connecting Cuba to Venezuela as part of developing their own communications technology, and added it was likely that investment would be made in factories for repairing agricultural equipment and tools.  

All of these programs and others are possible, Chávez affirmed, without having to go begging to the International Monetary Fund; that has been the case with Cuban/Venezuelan financing as a demonstration of the two countries’ economic independence.

Translated by Granma International  

Granma 15-10-2007