Utility-Scale Solar Mission — Eastern Grid
For a renewable-energy developer weighing utility-scale solar in Holguín, Las Tunas and Granma, oriented around the national utility (UNE) and energy ministry (MINEM) context.
For: Renewable-energy & IPP developers
1 · Budget first
A transparent, itemised estimate for 1 traveller · 6 nights · business tier. Every line is a planner range in USD — an estimate to budget with, not a quote.
| International airfare | $550 – $1,300 |
| Entry documents (tourist card) | $30 – $75 |
| Travel insurance | $40 – $150 |
| Accommodation | $570 – $1,170 |
| Local transportation | $530 – $1,040 |
| Food | $540 – $990 |
| Guides & activities | $240 – $720 |
| Connectivity | $15 – $55 |
| Tips | $30 – $120 |
| Water, laundry & sundries | $18 – $72 |
| Emergency reserve | $201 – $659 |
| Total (1 traveller) | $2,764 – $6,351 |
- Per traveller
- $2,764 – $6,351
- Per day
- $461 – $1,059
- Ground only (no airfare)
- $2,013 – $4,392
- Airfare est. / traveller
- $550 – $1,300
Basis: business hotel · business food · private driver · 6 guided days.
Adjust every number in the planner →Estimates in USD to help you budget — not observed prices, quotes or guaranteed availability. Most US cards don’t work in Cuba; carry cash and keep the reserve.
2 · Fly in
Madrid (MAD) → Holguín (HOL) — Frank País
Gateway for Guardalavaca and the Holguín beach resorts.
Example dates 2026-09-15 → 2026-09-21 (adjust on the live search). CubaAtlas books nothing — these open live results:
3 · Day by day
Where to sleep and dine each day is a real listing from the CubaAtlas provider dataset, nearest your base.
Morning
Land at Frank País; settle in Holguín.Afternoon
Brief on Cuba's renewable-energy targets and the role of foreign IPPs in the Cartera de Oportunidades.Evening
Working dinner on the week's site plan.Business step: Study the CubaAtlas energy, MINEM and UNE sections.
Morning
Orientation on the eastern grid, substation capacity and interconnection constraints.Afternoon
Review of existing solar parks and the standard park scale being tendered.Evening
Working dinner on curtailment and dispatch risk.Business step: Request an orientation briefing on UNE interconnection procedures through your comercializadora contact.
Morning
Drive to Las Tunas; orientation on candidate land parcels and solar-resource conditions.Afternoon
Discuss land-use rights, MINAG land coordination and site access.Evening
Working dinner on land-tenure and permitting sequence.Business step: Map land-and-grid siting using the CubaAtlas energy and land-use layers.
Morning
Review the single-buyer model — UNE as the offtaker — and PPA structuring context.Afternoon
Orientation on currency, tariff and repatriation questions under Law 118.Evening
Working dinner on financial-model assumptions.Business step: Draft PPA and currency questions for MINEM and UNE.
Morning
Drive to Bayamo; orientation on Granma solar candidate zones and grid nodes.Afternoon
Discuss construction logistics, equipment import routing and local content.Evening
Working dinner on EPC and import-logistics risk.Business step: Assess equipment-import routing with the CubaAtlas logistics notes and Law 118 import terms.
DinnerPaladar el PolinesiorestaurantMap →Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)Morning
Consolidate findings — irradiance, land, interconnection, offtake.Afternoon
Draft next-step questions for MINEM, UNE and MINCEX; buffer for travel.Evening
Closing working dinner.Business step: Arrange an orientation contact at ProCuba and confirm which authority owns each open question.
DinnerPaladar el PolinesiorestaurantMap →Source: OpenStreetMap (ODbL)
4 · Visa, entry & customs
Every visitor needs a Cuban tourist card (tarjeta del turista) plus a passport valid for the stay and proof of onward travel and medical insurance. Buy the tourist card before you fly — the price and colour depend on your departure country and airline.
Nationals of Spain travel on the ordinary tourist card — no consular visa for a standard holiday stay.
5 · Shipping & commercial issues
Bringing goods, samples or equipment is a commercial import, not baggage: most inputs move through a Cuban state comercializadora, and a foreign business operates under a Law 118 form (joint venture, wholly-foreign enterprise, or international economic-association contract). Currency is a real constraint — plan around MLC/USD accounts.
Embargo / OFAC: the US embargo restricts what US persons and, in places, third parties can do with Cuba. Property transactions and many dealings carry sanctions exposure — this is orientation, not legal advice. Verify with counsel and the relevant ministry before committing.
Sectors in focus: Renewable energy / solar · Grid infrastructure
Orientation only. Generation and interconnection are governed by MINEM and the Unión Eléctrica (UNE); the CubaAtlas energy and foreign-investment sections summarise the framework, and MINEM, UNE and MINCEX are the authorities to confirm any terms or PPA conditions.
6 · Book direct, or compare an agency
This plan is costed to book direct — the $4,103 (expected) above is what the trip actually costs, itemised, with no package margin. A travel agency bundles flights, hotel and transfers into one price and adds a service fee for the convenience. We don’t quote agencies (we’d never invent a price) — so take a package quote and compare it line-for-line against the breakdown above.
Operating Spain agencies serving Cuba, if you prefer a package:
- Air Europa ↗
Scheduled Madrid–Havana.
Sells: flights
- Iberia ↗
Scheduled Madrid–Havana (~10h20 nonstop).
Sells: flights · 901 111 500
- Iberojet ↗
Own flights + Havana–Varadero packages (Ávoris/Barceló group).
Sells: flights, packages · 918 460 001
- Catai ↗
Premium tailor-made Cuba tours.
Sells: packages, tours · +34 914 091 125
- B the travel brand (Viajes Barceló) ↗
450 agencies; Havana–Varadero combined packages.
Sells: packages, flights, hotels · 913 277 760
- Viajes El Corte Inglés ↗
Dedicated “Viajes a Cuba” section across 6 destinations.
Sells: flights, packages, hotels · 91 33 00 732
CubaAtlas is non-commercial and takes no commission. Agency links go straight to the operator; we don’t book, broker or earn from them.
Every Cuba agency, compiled — with the free equivalent for each →Questions
- How much does the "Utility-Scale Solar Mission — Eastern Grid" trip cost?
- An estimated $2,764–$6,351 all-in for 1 traveller(s) over 6 nights ($4,103 per traveller expected), including airfare, lodging, food, transport and a reserve. It is a planner estimate, not a quote — you book each part direct, with no agency margin.
- Do I need a visa to travel to Cuba?
- Every visitor needs a Cuban tourist card plus a valid passport, onward travel and medical insurance — no consular visa for a standard holiday stay. See the CubaAtlas visa & entry guide.
- When is the best time for this trip?
- Best months: November–April.
- Can I book this trip on CubaAtlas?
- No — CubaAtlas is a free, non-commercial planner. It gives you the itinerary, the budget, live flight-search links and real hotel and restaurant listings, and you arrange each part directly at the source. We book nothing and take no commission.