Guantanamo.- Five Chinese Yutong buses, powered by biomethane, will soon be operating in the communities of the western Matanzas municipality of Marti, Cubadebate reported.
The mayor of the municipality, Geovanny Castanedo Larena, reported that the vehicles will provide service from all the popular councils. The routes will connect with areas near hospitals in Colon, Cardenas, and Matanzas.
The project is part of the initiative to achieve a carbon-neutral sustainable development model in the area. The coordinator of the Global Action for Climate Change project, Sobeida Maria Reyes Martinez, explained that the first objective is to clean the biogas to convert it into biomethane and compress it for public transportation.
The system will benefit more than 22,000 residents of the municipality. The pig farms in the area generate the gas using membrane-type biodigesters while the biogas refining plant is currently being installed. Castanedo Larena indicated that civil construction was completed by July 30.
There are already 14 kilometers of underground pipeline that make up the local gas pipeline. Work includes completing the installation of the upper membrane to capture the necessary biogas.
The project has a total cost of 33 million pesos, including 5 million euros. The European Union is funding the initiative, while the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is implementing it.
In Cuba, the Ministry of Economy and Planning is leading the corresponding actions.
The initiative promotes energy sovereignty in the region. The biomethane produced in the area will replace fossil fuels in municipal public transportation.
This project represents a step forward in the sustainable development strategy in the province of Matanzas.
The use of refined biogas contributes to the reduction of polluting emissions. This experience could be replicated in other municipalities in the country with similar characteristics.
