The Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) “It’s easy going, there’s a lot more experience, it’s working really well,” he said. General Raul Castro This Saturday when visiting that gigantic project that the government describes as “the most important and future in the country”, but there are only 36 companies currently operating.

as posted Presidency page in CubaCastro promised to “make every effort to maintain this situation.”

However, according to Ana Teresa Igarza Martinez, general manager of ZEDMAnd the “To date, 62 companies have been approved—36 are in operation—for a committed investment amount of more than $3,000 million.”.

“Of these, more than 1,000 million have already been executed. There are 21 countries and 11 multinational companies in the region; More than 15,000 job opportunities were created.

Raul Castro led Verify that every month the government carries out ZEDM worksAccompanied by Miguel Diaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz.

As reported by Osvaldo Bravo Borrego, General Manager of Engineering Services for the Comprehensive Directorate of Mariel Projects, in the region – which was established in November 2013 and covers an area of ​​465.4 square kilometers – 50 investments have been completed and 21 other investments have been managed.

About 4,173 million pesos have been allocated to basic and supplementary infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, railways, aqueducts, hydraulic, electrical and communication networks, as well as 349 homes for people who have had to relocate due to the investment process and workers in the area. Same area said.

The manager talked about Work carried out in ZEDM to generate electricity from sunlight, which allowed to produce 67 megawatts peak. He added that 90% of that electricity is delivered to the national electricity grid, where the owners of these systems get income from it.

That’s what Diaz-Canel said about it Every new investment made in Mariel must include generation from renewable energy sources.

The Director General of ZEDM explained the development and business program and considered that “the environment is very competitive, with more than 500 similar regions in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

It was described as one of the “main attractions of Mariel’s ‘single window system’, which handles all Investor licenses, permits and permits; As well as a scheme of financial operations in a freely convertible currency.

In the words of Igarza Martinez, “ZEDM’s core industries are logistics, biotechnology, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and advanced manufacturing.”

According to one CONNECTAS Researchthe more than $800 million invested in the ZEDM project up to 2019 was not enough for what it will be The new engine of the Cuban economy, in the center Project problems and a small Cuban economy.

The modernization of the Mariel port was carried out by the Brazilian company Odebrecht, the protagonist of a scandalous corruption case. For this, the company took advantage of BNDES in the amount of $68,000,000 in discounts, for interest derived from the loans.