The arrival of products at the Las Novedades store in downtown Holguín has reignited the hopes of locals eager to purchase solar panels, although there is still no confirmed date for their availability or announced prices.
A video shared this Friday on Facebook by the user Héctor García Rubio showcased the unloading of what appears to be the first goods arriving from China at the establishment, which has been undergoing renovations for months.
The items observed during unloading include plastic products and bicycles, while solar panels capture much of the expectation of the people of Holguín, amid the prolonged blackouts affecting the country.
"They say they brought plastic items, the man said, this bicycle... But well, what everyone in Holguín was waiting for are the solar panels," commented the narrator of the recording.
A passerby stated that solar panels would also be arriving, although "later on." However, when asking about the prices, the author of the video received the response that they were still unknown, without clarifying when the equipment would be available.
The arrival of the goods takes place through SUMAI S.A., a Cuban-Chinese joint venture that landed in Holguín, after starting operations in Camagüey at the end of 2025 and then expanding to Havana.
It was established in January 2025 by the Cuban firm ALBUS S.A. and the Chinese company Hangzhou Iunke Industrial Development Co., Ltd., and it operates under the Investment and Trade Platform for Latin America (PICLA), which is connected to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
The company's catalog includes monocrystalline solar panels of 590 watts with a maximum efficiency of 23.2%, as well as food, building materials, hardware, appliances, and household items.
Her commercial manager, Eimy Iturralde, stated that the company was created to provide "a broader, more varied, and competitive offer."
The Holguín Business Group announced officially at the end of August the arrival of the first container of SUMAI to the province, although the official opening of Las Novedades to the public has not yet been confirmed.
What the official announcements do not mention is that SUMAI operates exclusively in US dollars, either in cash or through authorized cards in Cuba.
In a country where the average salary does not reach 20 dollars a month, access to these products is practically reserved for those who receive remittances or obtain foreign currency through means other than the state salary.
The anticipation surrounding solar panels is not coincidental. Cuba is experiencing one of the worst electrical crises in its history, with significant generation deficits, power outages exceeding 20 hours a day in several areas, and ongoing partial and total disconnections from the National Electric System.
In this context, China has intensified its energy cooperation with the island. It donated two batches of 5,000 photovoltaic systems, approved an emergency aid package of 80 million dollars in January, and announced plans to build 92 solar parks with a capacity of 2,000 MW by 2028.
Cuba's imports of Chinese panels jumped from 48 million dollars in 2024 to 117 million in 2025.
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