The private Holguin mipyme Frenas Conmigo S.U.R.L. has begun the construction of the first solar charging station for electric vehicles in Holguín, commonly known as a "solinera," in the space that previously housed a fuel service station in the Luz neighborhood of the provincial capital.
The project was announced this Friday by Juan López, the sales technician of the company, during an interview granted to the station Radio Holguín, where he provided details about the investment.
"The small business where I work is starting to carry out a project that will bring social value back to one of the locations in Holguín that was previously a fuel service station and will soon become the first Solar Charging Station operating in Holguín," López wrote on social media.
According to the explanation, the initiative aims to provide an alternative to the energy difficulties facing the province. "It will be greatly beneficial for nearby communities and for those traveling in electric vehicles who need to charge them, now that the energy situation has become practically critical," he stated in a video.
The crisis was even reflected during the interview on Radio Holguín, which could not take place in the usual studio due to the lack of electricity.
The images shared by López show that the property was already undergoing renovations, with repair and painting work in progress for its future operation.
The investment arrives in a particularly complex context for Holguín, one of the provinces most severely affected by the electricity crisis in Cuba, with an availability of only 70 MW compared to a demand of 225 MW and blackouts lasting more than 24 consecutive hours.
The Lidio Ramón Pérez thermoelectric plant in Felton, crucial for the power supply of eastern Cuba, has experienced recurring breakdowns and was disconnected from the National Electrical System in February 2026.
The holguinera solar station joins a trend that is spreading across the island as a decentralized response to the energy collapse. The first solar station in Cuba was inaugurated on April 5 in the Virginia neighborhood of Santa Clara, operated by the Gomate Local Development Project, featuring 56 solar panels, 30 kW of photovoltaic power, and the capacity to charge six electric vehicles simultaneously.
After Santa Clara, Matanzas plans nine solineras and Havana announced one in Vedado, at the intersection of 23 and J.
The solar plant in Holguín would be the first in eastern Cuba and the first operated by a private small and medium-sized enterprise (mipyme) in that province, marking an additional step in the diversification of the Cuban private sector toward renewable energy in light of the worsening crisis that deepened in January following the suspension of Venezuelan oil shipments and the halt of Mexican oil exports.
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