Heads of Cuban energy companies completed an internship at MPEI

On June 26, 2026, MPEI held a certificate awarding ceremony for a group of executives from energy companies of Cuba who completed additional professional education programs (internship). The ceremony was attended by Nikolay Rogalev, MPEI Rector, Alexander Tarasov, Vice-Rector on International Relations and Anastasia Mashkova, Director on Integration Policy Development.

Honorary guests of the ceremony included representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in the Russian Federation: Alberto Turro Breff, Education and Science Advisor and Delis Sevilla Rodriguez, Higher Education and Science Specialist. The event was also attended by colleagues from Venezuela — representatives of MegaElectrics 2028: Oscar Rafael Oropeza Acosta, Braulio Jose Ramos Puerta, and Oscar Omar Jaimes Suare. They visited MPEI to discuss cooperation opportunities.

The internship program, organized by the MPEI Departments of High Voltage Engineering and Electrophysics, Electrical Power Systems, as well as Management in Power Engineering and Industry, started in April 2026 and lasted for about three months. The participants included executives from key organizations of Cuba’s electrical power sector: the National Electric Power Dispatch Service, the Matanzas, Energomat, Ciego de Avila, and Granma electric power companies, as well as the UNE Central Office.

“Successfully completing this internship marks an important milestone in our long-term cooperation with Cuba. We see strong interest among our Cuban colleagues in learning from Russian experience in power system management and energy sector training. We are confident that the acquired knowledge will help energy company executives contribute significantly to the modernization of Cuba’s energy sector”, - Nikolay Rogalev, MPEI Rector said.

The internship program focused on practical research into current challenges facing Cuba’s energy sector. Under the guidance of MPEI professors, the participants developed individual projects aimed at addressing specific issues in Cuba’s electric power industry. The final stage included the presentation of their project reports.

Given Cuba’s active implementation of renewable energy sources, special attention focused on the impact of solar generation on distribution networks. The participants studied methods for mitigating related effects, managing network operation under unstable generation conditions, and ensuring power system stability and inertia response during disturbances.

The participants conducted a comprehensive study on optimizing parameters of battery energy storage systems (BESS) for primary frequency regulation. Using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method, they developed a concept that enables battery charge recovery without interrupting frequency regulation. The results, already applied in Cuba, confirmed the high efficiency of BESS solutions for primary frequency control in small and weak power systems.

The Cuban specialists analyzed options for connecting solar power plants to distribution networks, performed energy loss simulations, and conducted economic assessments. Based on the calculations, they identified the most efficient solution that balances energy savings and investment costs while considering financial constraints. A significant part of the program focused on power transformer diagnostics. The participants studied modern approaches to assessing the condition of oil-paper insulation, detecting defects, and organizing predictive maintenance.

The participants also developed automation schemes for distribution networks to isolate fault areas. Automated protection systems can reduce consumer downtime by 65–67%, with investment payback starting from the fourth year. Based on the analysis of Russian experience in wholesale electricity markets and tariff mechanisms, the participants proposed measures to improve the economic efficiency of Cuba’s power system while maintaining state management.

The internship was supervised by MPEI professors: Associate Professors and Candidates of Technical Sciences A.S. Vanin, O.N. Kuznetsov, G.V. Shvedov, M.A. Koshelev, and Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor M.N. Myznikova. The University expresses its gratitude to the academic supervisors for the high quality of training and the practical value of the results achieved.

An important part of the program included visits to major energy facilities of MPEI’s industry partners.

The Cuban specialists visited Thermal Power Plant No. 20, where they learned about the operation of a modern combined-cycle gas turbine unit and examined its main components: a gas turbine, steam turbine, and heat recovery steam generator. These facilities demonstrate advanced technologies for highly efficient combined electricity and heat generation.

The delegation then visited the Mosenergo History Museum, one of Russia’s leading corporate museums, which preserves the rich history of Moscow’s energy sector development. The exhibition, featuring unique archival documents, equipment models, and interactive displays, illustrated the large-scale efforts behind providing the city with reliable and efficient energy.

During their visit to PJSC “Rosseti Moscow Region”, the delegation toured the 220 kV Gorenki («Горенки» in Russian) substation and examined the structure and operation of modern substation equipment. A key part of the visit was a tour of the Network Control Center in Noginsk that is the “brain center” of the power system equipped with advanced dispatching, monitoring and real-time control systems.

At the L.N. Mishin Museum of Military and Labor Glory of Noginsk Electric Networks, the specialists learned about the evolution of technologies, continuity between generations, and corporate culture in the Russian energy industry.

An important stage of the program was the visit to the Main Dispatch Center of JSC “SO UES”, where Board Member Andrey Kataev presented the guests with the company’s main areas of activity. The Cuban specialists learned about operational dispatch control principles, capacity reserve management mechanisms, and the functioning of the wholesale electricity and capacity market.

They also visited the Personnel Training Simulation Center, where the Center’s head demonstrated modern digital training simulators that model various emergency and standard operating conditions of power systems. The Cuban colleagues highly appreciated the practice-oriented approach to dispatcher training.

At the Izolyator Group, the Cuban executives studied modern technologies for manufacturing high-voltage equipment used in distribution networks, expanding their understanding of Russian electrical engineering solutions and component technologies.  

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As part of their introduction to advanced Russian scientific developments, the trainees visited the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna. At the Veksler and Baldin Laboratory of High Energy Physics, the delegation explored the Nuclotron accelerator complex, the superconducting magnet production facility for international megaprojects NICA and FAIR, and the legendary Synchrophasotron.

The tour concluded at the largest periodic table of elements in Eurasia. The Cuban specialists showed particular interest in superconductivity technologies and powerful magnetic systems due to their potential application in modern energy facilities.

The cultural program included visits to the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve with the observation tower of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich’s palace, the Museum of Cosmonautics, the Victory Museum and the memorial apartment of Gleb Krzhizhanovsky. The program allowed the guests to gain a deeper understanding of Russian history and culture.

MPEI expresses its sincere gratitude to the management and teams of PJSC "Rosseti Moscow Region", PJSC "Mosenergo", JSC "SO UES", the Izolyator Group and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research for their warm hospitality, informative tours, as well as contribution to the development of international educational cooperation.

The internship program was organized by the MPEI Directorate on Integration Policy Development. Throughout the program, Cuban first- and second-year master students of the University supported the participants, helping strengthen professional and personal ties among the program members.

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Reference

Currently, 33 citizens of the Republic of Cuba are studying at MPEI across all education levels, including master’s programs, Ph.D. programs and the preparatory department. In 2024, with the support of the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Cuba (MINEM) and the Ministry of Higher Education of Cuba (MES), MPEI opened a Targeted Training Center in Havana together with UNE Corporation. Since its establishment, the Center has trained 31 specialists for Cuba’s energy sector through additional professional education programs (internships) and developed more than 15 educational and methodological packages with the participation of MPEI’s industrial partners in the Russian Federation.