Carib Scope

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  • Pringle Says UPP Will “Regroup and Come With Force” After Return as Opposition Leader

    Pringle Says UPP Will “Regroup and Come With Force” After Return as Opposition Leader

    Fresh off his formal appointment as Opposition Leader of Antigua and Barbuda, Jamale Pringle has announced that the United Progressive Party (UPP) is launching a full-scale rebuilding effort, promising to return to the political arena with renewed force after the party’s defeat in the April 30 general election.

    Pringle received his official instruments of appointment from Governor General Sir Rodney Williams during a ceremony at Government House on Monday, and spoke immediately after with ABS Television to lay out his agenda for the coming parliamentary term. In the interview, he framed the UPP’s next chapter as focused on regaining lost public trust, with a far more assertive presence in parliamentary proceedings than in previous cycles.

    “We have to rebuild the confidence of the people of this nation,” Pringle said. “Under my leadership, both as Opposition Leader and head of the party, I am committed to getting our team regrouped and coming forward with force to earn back the public’s trust.” Pringle shared that he felt both humbled and elated to return to this constitutional role, noting he had been away from parliamentary work for a period.

    For constituents, Pringle pledged a new standard of advocacy: “The public can expect representation with greater force — the aggressive, unflinching representation that they deserve.” He emphasized that this second tenure as Opposition Leader, which follows his first term after the 2018 general election, will look markedly different from his first stint in the role.

    Reflecting on his entry into national politics in 2018, Pringle acknowledged he was a political novice when he first took on the post of Opposition Leader straight after winning his seat. “When I started in 2018, I was literally a rookie,” he said. “It was my first time ever serving in the House of Parliament, let alone stepping into the huge responsibility of Opposition Leader. That experience shaped me, both as a politician and a person, over the last several years.”

    With that on-the-job training behind him, Pringle said he has grown from strength to strength with public support, and is ready to deliver bolder leadership for the opposition. He also detailed the reasoning behind the UPP’s recent Senate appointments, which prioritized bringing new voices into the Upper House while retaining seasoned institutional knowledge.

    Pringle pointed specifically to newly appointed Senator Chester Hughes, a long-time workers’ rights advocate with prior parliamentary experience, as a standout addition to the caucus. “He has been an unwavering advocate for the working class, and a formidable presence in parliamentary debates, which is why we tapped Brother Chester Hughes to serve,” Pringle explained. The mix of new perspectives, seasoned experience, and intellectual depth across the appointed senators will allow the opposition to match the strength of its lower house caucus in the Senate, he argued.

    The UPP’s current Senate opposition team includes Ashworth Azille, Jonathan Wehner, and Chester Hughes, with Senator-designate Malaka Jones set to be sworn in at a later date after missing Monday’s ceremony due to ongoing travel commitments. Pringle extended congratulations to all four incoming senators, thanking them for their commitment to keeping the UPP a vibrant, relevant force in Antigua and Barbuda’s political landscape following the election loss.

    “Our goal with these appointments is to guarantee true, full representation for the people of Antigua and Barbuda across both chambers of Parliament,” Pringle added, expressing optimism that the new caucus will deliver impactful contributions that advance the opposition’s mandate.

  • UN Youth Advisory Group Congratulates Antigua and Barbuda’s Youngest Senator

    UN Youth Advisory Group Congratulates Antigua and Barbuda’s Youngest Senator

    A new chapter of youth representation in Caribbean governance has opened after 22-year-old youth advocate Shaquan O’Neil was appointed to the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda, earning formal congratulations and historic recognition from the United Nations Youth Advisory Group.

    O’Neil, who already serves as both a member of the UN Youth Advisory Group and Antigua and Barbuda’s National Youth Ambassador, has built a years-long track record of amplifying the priorities and perspectives of young people across the Caribbean region. Following the country’s April 30 general election, he was selected to fill a seat in the Upper House as part of the newly formed government’s Senate lineup.

    In an official statement, the UN Youth Advisory Group highlighted the milestone nature of O’Neil’s appointment, noting that it marks a breakthrough for bringing youth voices directly to the highest tiers of national decision-making. The organization praised O’Neil’s consistent leadership, his unwavering commitment to public service, and his track record of centering youth needs in advocacy work. It also expressed firm confidence that he will build on his past work to continue inspiring and lifting up young communities across the entire Caribbean region.

    O’Neil’s selection has drawn significant attention across Antigua and Barbuda and the broader Caribbean, driven both by his status as a young leader entering national office and his well-documented history of centering youth issues in public life. The appointment is being widely watched as a test case for greater youth inclusion in regional governance.

  • Antigua Golfer Wins Caribbean Optimist Title in Barbados

    Antigua Golfer Wins Caribbean Optimist Title in Barbados

    Rising young golf talent Marquis George from Antigua has secured the 16–18 age division championship title at the 2024 Caribbean Optimist Golf Championship, which was hosted this year in Barbados. His impressive win has drawn widespread congratulations from his academic institution, Clare Hall Secondary School, and a wave of support from sports fans back in his home country.

    Competing as an official representative of Antigua and Barbuda at the major regional youth sporting event, George outperformed a field of skilled young golfers from dozens of Caribbean nations and territories to claim the first-place position. His consistent performance across all tournament rounds stood out among the competitors, cementing his status as one of the region’s most promising young golf talents.

    In an official congratulatory statement released shortly after the final round, Clare Hall Secondary School celebrated George’s achievement, noting that his victory showcased extraordinary technical skill, unwavering competitive discipline, and exemplary sportsmanship throughout the high-stakes regional competition. The institution further emphasized that George has proudly elevated Antigua and Barbuda’s profile in regional youth sports through his exceptional performance and relentless determination, adding that his milestone success acts as a powerful source of motivation for fellow students across the school community.

    Following the tournament closing ceremony, images circulating on social media captured the moment George received his gold medal before posing for photos with his championship trophy, with many local fans sharing the posts to celebrate the young athlete’s win.

    George’s latest championship adds another notable entry to Antigua and Barbuda’s expanding record of regional sporting successes, while also shining a spotlight on the country’s ongoing investment and progress in developing young golf talent across the nation.

  • Youth Parliament Association Congratulates Jonathan Wehner on Senate Appointment

    Youth Parliament Association Congratulates Jonathan Wehner on Senate Appointment

    In a formal ceremony held at Government House this past Sunday, 24-year-old Jonathan Wehner was officially sworn in as a new Opposition Senator, drawing a message of congratulations and strong endorsement from the National Youth Parliament Association of Antigua and Barbuda (NYPAAB), the organization that helped shape his early political training. Wehner stands out as one of the youngest individuals ever to secure a seat in Antigua and Barbuda’s Upper House of Parliament, earning his appointment following the 2026 general election that reshuffled the country’s opposition legislative roster.

    Long before his official appointment to national office, Wehner cut his political teeth through NYPAAB programming, cutting his teeth participating in the organization’s youth-led parliamentary debates and hands-on leadership development initiatives. This prior connection has made the association particularly vocal in its support for his new role, releasing an official statement expressing unwavering confidence in his capabilities as a incoming legislator.

    In the statement, NYPAAB noted that it is convinced Wehner will bring the strong personal and professional qualities he cultivated through youth programming to his work in the Senate, enabling him to deliver tangible, meaningful contributions to national legislative discourse. The organization shared that it is eager to watch the new senator carve out meaningful progress and advance key priorities during his tenure in the upper chamber. NYPAAB also offered guidance for Wehner as he steps into this new public role, encouraging him to remain steadfast in his commitments and grounded in humility as he takes on legislative responsibilities. The association further confirmed that it will continue to stand behind Wehner throughout his term, providing ongoing organizational support as he navigates his work as a young opposition legislator.

  • Health Minister Michael Joseph Personally Funds Gift Baskets for Nurses During Nurses Week Visits

    Health Minister Michael Joseph Personally Funds Gift Baskets for Nurses During Nurses Week Visits

    As 2026 Nurses Week gets underway, Antigua and Barbuda’s top health official has launched a cross-island initiative to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the nursing professionals who form the backbone of the nation’s public healthcare system. Michael Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, has personally funded and spearheaded a tour of public health clinics across Antigua, with the sole mission of delivering hand-delivered gift baskets to every practicing nurse across the country’s network of public care facilities.

    The heartfelt gesture comes as a tangible token of gratitude for the steady commitment, compassionate care, and daily sacrifices that nurses make to serve the communities of Antigua and Barbuda. Unlike many government-sponsored recognition events, this effort is funded entirely out of Minister Joseph’s own pocket, underscoring the personal respect he holds for the nursing workforce.

    On the first day of the tour, Joseph and his team completed deliveries to 12 major clinics across the island, including high-traffic facilities such as Grays Farm Clinic, Villa Polyclinic, Cedar Grove Clinic, Judges Hill Clinic, Clare Hall Clinic, Pigotts Clinic, Parham Clinic, All Saints Clinic, Glanvilles Clinic, Potters Clinic, Bendals Clinic, and Brownes Avenue Clinic. Nurses at each location received their individual gift baskets as a direct recognition of their daily work caring for patients from across Antigua.

    During the visits, Minister Joseph took time to speak with nursing staff, emphasizing that their role is irreplaceable to the function of Antigua and Barbuda’s entire healthcare system. He noted that consistent, compassionate, professional care from nurses is the foundation of delivering high-quality healthcare services to every citizen and resident across the two-island nation, regardless of where they live.

    Joseph confirmed that the recognition tour will continue on the second day of Nurses Week, with deliveries scheduled to reach all remaining clinics until every one of the nation’s 22 operating public health clinics has received the gifts. Before wrapping up his first day of visits, the minister extended warm holiday wishes to all nurses across Antigua and Barbuda, praising their extraordinary contributions to national public health and the thousands of individual lives they touch and improve through their work every single day.

  • Education Ministry to Hold 6th Research Symposium

    Education Ministry to Hold 6th Research Symposium

    The 6th iteration of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology’s signature Research Symposium is set to get underway this Tuesday, with an in-person opening ceremony scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. local time at the John E. St. Luce Building. For attendees unable to join the event in person, the Ministry’s Education Broadcasting Unit will stream the entire opening ceremony live, expanding access to the discussions and presentations for remote participants across the country.

    Organized around the core theme “Plan it! Execute it! Share it! Use it!”, the symposium is crafted to advance a clear strategic goal: cultivating high-quality research that directly shapes evidence-based education policy, enhances instructional practices in K-12 and higher education classrooms, and fosters systemic innovation across the national education sector. Beyond academic output, the event is designed to create open spaces for cross-sector dialogue between researchers, educators, policymakers, and student innovators, encouraging collaboration that turns research findings into tangible on-the-ground impact.

    The opening day’s program centers on two key research themes: mathematics education achievement and family-focused education research. Leading the presentations at the opening ceremony are researcher Shoya Hurst and student researcher Kelsey Cochrane, with Allison Ledeatte stepping in to moderate discussions following the talks.

    Following the launch, the symposium’s first full formal session for 2026 will be held virtually on Wednesday evening, running from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time. This cross-disciplinary session showcases research projects beyond the education sector, reflecting the symposium’s commitment to supporting innovative inquiry across all fields. Featured topics include sustainable conversion processing for sargassum seaweed, advances in cancer diagnosis and disease staging, best practices for community-centered unused medication disposal, and a review of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) music education curriculum.

    Presenters for the virtual session lead with established researchers Resa Nelson, Dr. Andre Bovell, and Ellisa Zakers, alongside three rising student researchers: Nivron Browne, Sheneela Deane, and Jedidiah Christian. Sharifa George will moderate the virtual session, guiding audience questions and cross-presenter discussion throughout the two-hour program.

  • New Senator Jonathan Wehner Pledges Focus on Youth Issues, Cost of Living and Accountability

    New Senator Jonathan Wehner Pledges Focus on Youth Issues, Cost of Living and Accountability

    At a swearing-in ceremony held Monday at Antigua and Barbuda’s Government House, 24-year-old Jonathan Wehner took office as one of the newly appointed Opposition senators, bringing a fresh, youth-centered agenda to the country’s Upper House of Parliament. Fresh off formally accepting his legislative post, Wehner laid out his policy and legislative priorities in an exclusive interview with ABS Television, framing his tenure as a commitment to elevating young voices across the twin-island nation.

    Wehner made clear that his work in the Senate will center on pushing for tangible action on the critical issues that hit young Antiguans and Barbudans the hardest, including access to affordable high-quality healthcare, expanded educational opportunities, robust youth employment programs, and policy interventions to curb the skyrocketing cost of living. “In Parliament, I will be a voice for youth, an advocate for youth, across every issue that touches young people across our country,” he explained. “Whether it is healthcare, education, employment, or rising living costs, young people deserve representation that shows up for their needs.”

    Beyond his policy priorities, Wehner emphasized that he intends to move beyond petty partisan rivalry to focus on solving pressing national challenges, rejecting the common political tactic of scoring points at the expense of public good. He described his unexpected appointment to the Senate as a deeply humbling milestone, and extended public gratitude to Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle and the United Progressive Party for putting their trust in a young, emerging political leader.

    Opening the interview with a show of cross-party goodwill, Wehner publicly congratulated the incumbent government on its victory in the April 30 general election, noting that the final result reflected the clear will of Antigua and Barbuda’s voters. “The government has won, the people have spoken, and we must all listen to the voice of the people,” he said. Wehner pushed back against the common misconception that the role of an opposition legislator is simply to block government action, arguing instead that the Opposition’s core responsibility is to enforce government accountability and advance shared national progress. “It is our job to hold the government accountable, keep their feet to the fire, to ensure we deliver a better future for all of Antigua and Barbuda,” he noted. “This is never about party colors. It is always about moving our country forward.”

    Wehner also credited the wide network of supporters, family members, and party leaders who helped him build his political career, stressing that his appointment to the Senate was not a solo achievement. He noted that the United Progressive Party gave him multiple opportunities to grow as a leader, including roles as an executive committee member and acting public relations officer, and he owed a deep debt of gratitude to the party and its leadership for his journey to the Upper House.

    In a notable gesture of cross-party respect, Wehner also extended congratulations to Shaquan O’Neil, the newly sworn-in government senator who made history at 22 as the youngest senator in Antigua and Barbuda’s history. Wehner revealed that O’Neil is a close personal relative, and argued that political differences should never stand in the way of celebrating achievement and extending mutual respect. “Even though we are on different sides of the political aisle, it is still important to congratulate him on this milestone,” he said. Wehner also singled out Senator Colin O’Neil for special thanks, calling him one of his biggest supporters and most influential encouragers throughout his political career.

    Wehner was one of three opposition senators sworn in during Monday’s ceremony, joining fellow legislators Ashworth Azille and Chester Hughes. A fourth opposition senator-designate, Malaka Parker, was unable to attend the event due to ongoing international travel, and will be sworn in at a formal ceremony at a later date.

  • Wurggreep van mamio-regeringen: Na suiker, bauxiet, goud en offshore olie geen ontwikkeling!

    Wurggreep van mamio-regeringen: Na suiker, bauxiet, goud en offshore olie geen ontwikkeling!

    Suriname remains trapped in a neocolonial stranglehold under what commentator Jack Menke terms “mamio-regeringen” — coalition governments that prioritize patronage over national progress, perpetuating what is widely known as the resource curse across the small South American nation. Writing in a critical opinion piece published May 12, Menke argues that after decades of exploitation centered on sugar, bauxite and gold extraction, a new term of mamio-led government would put even the potential economic gains from offshore oil development completely out of reach for ordinary Surinamese people.

    Menke defines a mamio government as a fragmented “patchwork failure”: a loose coalition of competing political parties that never coalesce into a unified, functional administration with a clear development vision. According to his analysis, this pattern of failed coalition governance has repeated consistently across successive Surinamese administrations, dating back to the adoption of the country’s 1987 constitution. A troubling core dynamic, Menke notes, is that political parties have steadily accumulated more power over the decades even as public trust in these institutions has collapsed to near-zero among the Surinamese population.

    Legislative changes have only reinforced this imbalance of power, Menke argues. The 1988 Political Organizations Act, the 2005 recall law, and the 2024 ban on pre-electoral coalitions have all consolidated control over government formation in the hands of large established parties and their financial backers. Smaller parties, which often maintain more robust internal democratic practices, have been systematically squeezed out of meaningful representation in the political system.

    Against this backdrop, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have become a central locus of corruption, mismanagement and patronage, Menke says. The public has been repeatedly confronted with high-profile scandals in SOEs spanning agriculture, forestry and transportation sectors, yet almost all of these cases fade away without meaningful accountability after temporary, half-baked fixes from politicians and self-styled experts. While the current governing coalition inherits most of these conflicts from previous administrations, Menke documents that endless infighting, embezzlement and mismanagement persist across both governing coalition partners and opposition parties within the current system.

    At the root of the crisis, Menke explains, is the practice of dividing up leadership positions in government agencies and state-owned enterprises as political spoils for coalition party members, rather than appointing qualified, competent leaders. He outlines three core factors that sustain the “mamio curse” on Suriname’s SOE sector: first, the flawed legacy of pre-independence strategies that relied on unproductive state-owned entities and joint ventures with foreign multinational corporations; second, the failure to address systemic problems, which Menke attributes to short-term political self-preservation and competing economic interests that allow scandals to fester without resolution; and third, the ongoing pattern of visonless mamio governments leaving mountains of unresolved problems for successive administrations to muddle through. As of 2026, Menke notes, more than 150 Surinamese state-owned enterprises are effectively looted, drained and operating at a sustained loss. He points to the Suriname Landbouw Maatschappij (SLM) as a notable example: decades of chaos, mismanagement and financial scandal have left the state agricultural firm a poorly grounded experiment that continues to operate without any sustainable foundation.

    The exposed scandals that reach public attention are only the tip of the iceberg, Menke emphasizes: the entire mamio political system is structured to perpetuate itself, regardless of whether parties hold power in coalition or sit in opposition. The core function of a mamio government is the deliberate division of control over central government ministries, directorates, overseas diplomatic posts and SOEs, with positions filled by unqualified party loyalists and political opportunists seeking personal gain rather than public good.

    Menke argues that the long-term cost of clinging to this colonial-era economic model, which centers resource extraction as the core policy priority for all mamio governments, is stunted development and entrenched systemic inequality. By delaying progress on collective land rights while facilitating multinational exploitation along neocolonial lines, successive governments have fueled persistent conflict with Indigenous and Maroon communities across the country. The outsized legal power granted to political parties, combined with their deep ties to illegal activity, failing SOEs and private economic interests, blocks the formation of functional, productive coalitions and derails any path to sustainable national development. Even well-intentioned, honest government leaders are ground down by the system, Menke says, eventually falling back on counterproductive micromanagement within this rotten neocolonial political structure.

    In Menke’s view, there is only one path to meaningful development for Suriname: the entire existing political system must be fundamentally rebuilt. To achieve this overhaul, he argues that targeted extra-parliamentary pressure from the Surinamese public is the only viable lever for change. Menke outlines that voters frustrated with the status quo have multiple options to exercise their opposition: casting a regular ballot for change, submitting a blank protest vote, discarding their ballot or joining collective direct action to push for systemic reform.

  • If party faithful doesn’t get support, they will go elsewhere – Aubrey Armstrong

    If party faithful doesn’t get support, they will go elsewhere – Aubrey Armstrong

    On May 11, 2026, former senior People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) figure Dr. Aubrey Armstrong delivered the annual Hugh Desmond Hoyte commemorative lecture in Guyana, issuing a stark warning to his former party and laying out enduring leadership lessons drawn from the life and tenure of the nation’s second executive president. The event, held to honor the legacy of the PNCR icon who led the party from 1985 until his death in 2002, came amid a years-long trend of high-profile PNCR members crossing the aisle to join the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC).

    Opening his address, which carried the theme “Strategic transformation from charismatic/hero-centered leadership: Some lessons from the leadership journey of Hugh Desmond Hoyte,” Dr. Armstrong centered his first critical warning on the need to prioritize the well-being of the party’s grassroots supporters. He emphasized that failing to deliver tangible support to loyal voters creates an open invitation for rival parties to poach disillusioned members. “You have to take care of your people. You have to find ways of feeding them and so on. If not, you open the door for somebody else to poach them,” he told the assembled audience.

    Dr. Armstrong rooted this advice in Hoyte’s own actions immediately after the PNCR’s historic 1992 electoral defeat, the first loss of national power for the party after decades in office. He recalled that within days of the result, Hoyte directed internal party policy experts to draft four landmark policy frameworks, one of which focused on expanding equitable access to credit and mainstream financial services for low-income Guyanese. At the time, Dr. Armstrong explained, Hoyte argued that formal banks and insurance institutions had long systematically excluded working-class Black and Indo-Guyanese citizens, and expanding financial access was core to both supporting the party’s base and advancing national equity. This initiative, Dr. Armstrong noted, grew directly from Hoyte’s core principle that parties must actively care for their supporters immediately after losing power, not only when holding office.

    Turning to his core analysis of Hoyte’s leadership style and the lessons it offers modern political actors, Dr. Armstrong argued that effective leadership relies on far more than raw intellectual intelligence. He stressed that emotional intelligence is equally critical: leaders must be able to self-reflect, publicly acknowledge mistakes, and deliberately recruit people with diverse skills — even those who do not personally align with the leader, or hold views that differ from their own. Other core pillars of strong leadership, he added, include creating space for constructive criticism from within, actively listening to grassroots feedback, systematically assessing and managing risk, solving problems pragmatically, and building teams that complement the leader’s gaps in skills and perspective.

    Dr. Armstrong specifically highlighted Hoyte’s personal commitment to this model of leadership, noting that the former president never felt threatened by colleagues with stronger expertise in specific areas. Confident in his own decision-making, Hoyte actively broke down long-standing barriers to bring more women and young people into senior party roles, making tough, unpopular choices to prioritize skills and representation over loyalty to existing party elites. Dr. Armstrong also celebrated Hoyte’s “iron will” to stand by difficult decisions, pointing to his landmark work on party reform that opened space for new generations of leaders to rise through the ranks. Above all, he emphasized Hoyte’s uncompromising “radical integrity,” noting that the former leader had zero tolerance for corruption and refused to tolerate any illicit financial connections to criminal activity in party or government affairs.

    Drawing another lesson from Hoyte’s observations during a visit to African National Congress (ANC) party branch activities in South Africa, Dr. Armstrong noted that Hoyte came away convinced of the need to strengthen local PNCR party chapters rather than keeping them weak and dependent on national leadership. “He began to understand the need for us to strengthen party groups. And they will talk back to you. When you strengthen them, they will talk back to you,” Dr. Armstrong said, adding that allowing local branches to retain financial and operational independence builds a more resilient party over the long term. Weak grassroots groups, he warned, cannot sustain a party through political struggles.

    For context, Hoyte assumed the Guyanese presidency in 1985 following the death of the nation’s first executive president, and won a disputed general election later that year widely condemned by international observers as rigged. Hoyte ultimately conceded to mounting local and international pressure for sweeping electoral reform, leading to the PNCR’s 1992 electoral defeat that ended the party’s decades hold on national power. The PNCR returned to government from 2015 to 2020 as the lead partner in the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition, but lost the 2020 general election and was relegated to the position of second-largest opposition party in parliament following the 2025 national polls.

  • What is the thermal conversion process for improving Cuban crude oil?

    What is the thermal conversion process for improving Cuban crude oil?

    Against the backdrop of a tightened economic blockade that has squeezed Cuba’s fuel supplies to critical levels, a homegrown technological breakthrough developed by local petroleum researchers is offering new momentum for the island nation to capitalize on its own natural resources and advance toward long-term energy sovereignty.

    The innovation, crafted by a team of scientists at Cuba’s Center for Petroleum Research (Ceinpet), centers on a thermal conversion process tailored to address the unique challenges posed by the country’s most abundant crude oil resource: heavy crude extracted from northern Cuban oil fields. To break down the impact of this new development, Cuban state newspaper *Granma* sat down for an exclusive interview with Rafael López Cordero, senior researcher and management advisor at Ceinpet, who walked through the process, its potential benefits, and its roadmap for scaling.

    López Cordero explained that Cuba produces a range of crude oil grades, from light to extra-heavy, but more than 70% of the country’s domestic output comes from northern deposits of heavy crude. This variant is defined by extremely high concentrations of asphaltene compounds, which create the crude’s signature high density and viscosity, paired with elevated sulfur levels. This chemical makeup creates cascading challenges across every stage of the oil supply chain, from initial extraction all the way to refining and end use.

    “These asphaltenes complicate not just refining, but also transportation, pumping, and even extraction,” López Cordero noted. When heavy crude is pulled from wells, it arrives mixed with water, requiring specialized surfactants to separate the emulsions and recover usable crude. Its extreme viscosity also makes it impossible to pump through existing pipeline infrastructure without first diluting it with solvent products to lower its thickness. Currently, these solvents come from two sources: a portion of distillate fractions produced by the Sergio Soto Refinery in Cabaiguán, which processes domestic crude, and heavy naphtha generated from processing imported crude oil – a feedstock that could otherwise be used to produce gasoline for domestic consumption.

    This is where the new thermal conversion process delivers transformative change. López Cordero was careful to clarify that thermal conversion is an upgrading process, not a full refining step. While refining produces finished fuel products that meet market quality standards – from liquefied petroleum gas and gasoline to jet fuel, diesel, and asphalt – thermal conversion targets the physical properties of heavy crude to make it far more usable and valuable.

    By reducing the crude’s viscosity enough to eliminate the need for solvent dilution, the process frees up all the naphtha previously used for this purpose to be redirected toward gasoline production, directly boosting the country’s available fuel supply. It also delivers secondary benefits: a modest reduction in sulfur content cuts the fuel’s environmental impact, and the upgraded crude’s improved combustion properties reduce wear on power plant equipment, extending their operational lifespans and cutting maintenance resource needs.

    In its current non-catalytic form, the process upgrades crude for more efficient transportation and combustion without directly producing finished fuel derivatives that meet all national quality standards, but its operational benefits are already significant. The technology is now in the pilot scaling phase at the Sergio Soto Refinery, a location selected for its unique advantages for testing.

    “Sergio Soto already processes domestic heavy crude, has all the auxiliary infrastructure we need – steam, treated water, power – and a trained staff with years of experience handling heavy crude,” López Cordero said. “We don’t have to build from scratch; we can integrate our pilot plant into the existing operational system, and the crude is already stored on site, so no extra transportation is required.”

    Contrary to common misconception, the pilot plant is not intended for mass commercial production of upgraded crude. Its core mission is to collect critical engineering data: researchers will test different temperature ranges, crude emulsion injection rates, and other operational variables to map how these factors impact final product quality. Once these core parameters are finalized, the team will design modular, scalable units that can be deployed directly at wellheads across northern oil fields, bringing the upgrading process directly to the source of extraction.

    The research line behind thermal conversion has been underway at Ceinpet for several years, and was paused for a period due to a range of resource and operational constraints. But the intensification of the U.S. blockade, which has worsened shortages of imported solvents and naphtha, created new urgency to advance the homegrown solution, pushing the team to leverage domestic expertise and local resources to bring the project across the finishing line.

    While the technology is still in early scaling and will not resolve all of Cuba’s immediate energy challenges overnight, López Cordero emphasized that it represents a meaningful, firm step forward for the country. By enabling Cuba to maximize the value of its own domestic natural resources, the breakthrough moves the nation one critical step closer to the long-held goal of full energy sovereignty.

    Ceinpet has been investigating thermal conversion technology for several years, and the project’s progress amid ongoing economic pressure highlights the role of domestic scientific innovation in building resilience for the island nation.