11th International Earth Sciences Convention concludes in Cuba

Havana, Apr 11 (Prensa Latina) A conference on advances in geological studies in Cuba during 2025 will take place during the final day of the 11th Earth Sciences Convention, which brought together researchers from several countries.

April 11, 2025
10:41

The Convention, held every two years, opened last Tuesday. Several traditional conferences were held: the 16th Geology Congress, the 13th Geophysics Congress, the 12th Mining Congress, the 10th Oil and Gas Congress, and the 15th Informatics and Geosciences Congress.

During the opening ceremony, Ramsés Montes, Director of National Energy Policy and Strategy of the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), explained to the delegates the Cuban energy transition project toward renewable sources.

Montes addressed aspects of the current energy situation in Cuba and strategic solutions for the short, medium, and long term. He emphasized that the essence of this transition is to achieve, with the participation of the entire society, a rapid transformation that guarantees, at the lowest possible cost and with a positive environmental impact, the sufficiency, sovereignty, and security of the energy supply required for the country’s sustainable development.

The specialist explained that currently, only four percent of Cuba’s electricity is generated with renewable energy sources (RES), and the goal is to achieve 17% RES generation by next year, 24% by 2030, and electrical independence by mid-century, with a 100 percent shift in the energy matrix.

The conference on the last day will be led by Enrique Castellanos, Director of Geology at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), and will showcase research in mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, tectonics, prospecting for mineral deposits, and geological heritage, among other aspects.

The final day’s academic program includes another lecture on the current state of oil and gas exploration and production, led by Osvaldo López of the Cuban Petroleum Directorate (CUPET) of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM).

The delegates had the opportunity to attend field trips to Cuban geological sites, workshops, and symposia on current topics such as 3D applications, artificial intelligence, critical minerals for the energy transition, and the environmental impacts of mining, among others.

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