Fidel Castro planned to transform Cuba into the first nation in Latin America with nuclear energy, but the fall of the Soviet Union and structural failures left the Juraguá nuclear plant unfinished, accumulating losses of more than US$1 billion and creating a ghost town in the Caribbean.
During the Cold War, Cuban leader Fidel Castro envisioned a future where his country would free itself from dependence on imported oil. To achieve this, he dreamed big: building the first nuclear power plant in Latin America, in partnership with the Soviet Union. But like all grand ambitions, the story of Juraguá ended with a legacy of unfinished concrete and bitter lessons about politics, technology and economics.
The beginning of a dream: the nuclear power plant in Juraguá
In the 1970s, Fidel Castro found in the Soviet Union an ally willing to transform Cuba into an energy self-sufficient country. The Soviets offered their VVER-440 reactor technology, already tested in Eastern Europe. These reactors would be capable of generating 440 MW each, enough to supply a good part of Cuba's energy needs.
To oversee the project, Fidel put his son, Fidel Castro Díaz-Balart, known as Fidelito, in charge. A graduate in nuclear physics from the Soviet Union, he embodied the promise of a bright future for Cuba. The first reactor was scheduled to come on line in 1993, but reality showed that things would not be so simple.
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The impact of the fall of the Soviet Union
Construction of the Juraguá nuclear plant continued until 1992, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Without financial and technical support, Cuba saw the project stall, with the first reactor 90% complete and the second only 30%. The economic and political crisis that followed on the island made it clear that Fidel's nuclear dream would not come true.
Questions arose about the safety of the plant. Inspections revealed serious flaws, including faulty welding at up to 15 percent of the points assessed. Cuban operators lacked full training, raising concerns about the country’s ability to operate such a complex facility.
The nuclear city: a plan that turned into ruin
The Juraguá nuclear power plant was not just a power plant; it was a life project for thousands of Cubans. Fidel planned a city around the plant, modeled after Chernobyl, to house the workers and their families. About 4.000 people still live in the area, amid unfinished buildings and a landscape reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic film.
Over time, the concrete structures began to deteriorate, but they are still a source of livelihood for some residents, who salvage copper and steel from the rubble to sell.
Attempts to revive the project
In the late 2000s, Vladimir Putin offered Cuba $800 million to complete the plant. However, Fidel Castro rejected the offer, in part because it was conditional on the island paying off a $20 billion debt to the Soviet Union. Unwilling to reopen economic wounds, the project remained abandoned.
Today, the Juraguá nuclear plant stands as a monument to what could have been. For the United States, it was a relief not to see a nuclear reactor operating just a few miles off its coast. Although nuclear fuel never reached the island, the ruins still haunt the region, like scars from an ambitious plan that failed.