Havana, June 7 (RHC)-- Cuba is looking to harness solar energy to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels and further develop renewable energy. 

Cuba's electric company, Union Electrica de Cuba, has announced it is building four photovoltaic parks in the western province of Matanzas, where another nine are also planned. 

The Matanzas project is part of a large government program to develop renewable energy sources and wean the country off fossil fuels.  The goal is to generate 24 percent of Cuba's energy from renewable sources by 2030. 

The government plans to build a total of 59 solar parks, 33 of which are to be completed this year, according to Jesus Lacera Linde, executive secretary of the Project Board in Cuba's Ministry of Construction (Mincons). 

The 33 plants, which will be linked to the national electric energy grid, will supply up to half of what a conventional electricity plant can generate. 

Cuba currently produces 45,000 barrels of oil per day and more than 3 million cubic meters of gas, both almost entirely used to generate electricity.  Those resources supply approximately half of the country's energy needs, and the other half is supplied by Venezuela.