|
CUBA
NEWS
The
Miami Herald
Firm finds petroleum off coast
The first well drilled
by Repsol-YPF off Cuba's coast wasn't commercially
valuable. Finding and drilling a new well
will take nearly two years.
Posted on Fri, Jul. 30,
2004.
HAVANA - (AP) -- The Spanish petrochemicals
company Repsol-YPF reported Thursday it
found petroleum reservoirs off Cuba's coast,
but the first well was not considered commercially
viable -- a ruling likely to disappoint
many here who had hoped for bigger news.
'NONCOMMERCIAL'
Repsol Chief Operating Officer Ramon Blanco
said during a Thursday conference call in
Europe that drilling off the island had
found ''a petroleum system,'' but the first
Cuban well was considered "noncommercial.''
''The first well drilled in Cuba has partially
met our initial expectations,'' Blanco said,
according to a report by Dow Jones Newswires.
"And at this stage the group is defining
future exploration activities in the area.''
Another Repsol executive added during the
conference call that it will take 9 to 10
months to assess new projects in Cuba and
about one year to drill a new well.
Since early June, Repsol had been spending
about $195,000 a day to rent a Norwegian
platform for exploratory drilling about
30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the island's
coast in Cuban waters.
The location was identified by studies
after Repsol contracted an area for oil
exploration from the Cuban government in
December 2000.
HOPES RAISED
The project had raised hopes on the communist-run
island, which still must import about 50
percent of its petroleum.
Oil specialists believe Cuba's waters in
the Gulf of Mexico could contain large quantities
of crude, just as those of Mexico and the
United States do. Earlier explorations,
however, turned up only modest discoveries.
Cuba used to be almost wholly dependent
on oil imports and imported most of its
supply on extremely favorable terms from
the former Soviet Union.
But when the Soviet bloc collapsed more
than a decade ago, Cuba began producing
much of its own oil and gas.
Cuba currently produces 75,000 barrels
daily, about half of what it needs. It imports
much of the rest on favorable terms from
political ally Venezuela.
Cuban composers' work showcased
By Daniel Fernandez, dfernandez@herald.com.
Posted on Fri, Jul. 30, 2004.
Among the composers whose work will be
performed tonight at a concert of works
by Cintas Foundation fellows at Miami Art
Central, some, like Tania León, have
already earned international recognition.
León, who is also an orchestra conductor,
will have her piece Momentum, showcased
at the event.
''This work, composed in 1984, was the
first that synthesized my encounter with
my own identity,'' said the artist. "I
had been in this country since 1967 and
I was beginning to recognize the mixture
of my two cultures.''
For her, winning the Cintas Fellowship
twice had a special repercussion. ''It was
one of the first prizes I won in the U.S.,
and since it was an award created to stimulate
Cuban artists, for me it was as if I were
getting support from my own family,'' León
said.
The Cintas Foundation Fellowship awards
prizes yearly in recognition of creative
talent among writers and artists of Cuban
origin. Fellowships are granted in architecture,
literature, musical composition and visual
arts.
Other works performed at the concert include
Core Interlude, for cello, percussion and
piano; and Silencios Imaginados, for flute,
clarinet, violin, cello and piano, both
composed by Orlando Jacinto García.
Ileana Pérez Velásquez will
be represented by her Flor Invernal, for
flute and clarinet. While Sergio Barroso
will present his Music for Clarinet and
Tape and Sandunga, for percussion and tape
recording.
Barroso earned the Cintas Fellowship in
1999. ''Thanks to this award I was able
to create my work Cuartetas,'' he explains.
NODUS Ensemble, a contemporary music group
founded by García in 1999, will perform
tonight. NODUS is an ensemble-in-residence
at Florida International University's School
of Music.
''For me it was a great honor to have won
the Cintas twice, knowing all the distinguished
writers, classical composers, painters and
other Cuban artists who have received this
award,'' said García.
''Each fellowship helped me with the realization
of three new pieces,'' added the composer,
"including works for the Orquesta Sinfónica
Simón Bolívar of Venezuela,
for Luis Gómez Imbert with the Miami
String Quartet, and works for various soloists
and ensembles in Italy, Canada and the United
States.''
Of his works included in the concert, García
says: "As most of my music, they are
quiet, delicate pieces, that include the
slow development of sound elements.''
The concert is presented in conjunction
with the exhibit ''Hope and Glory: The Enduring
Legacy of Oscar B. Cintas,'' which includes
works by Cintas winners as well as others
from the late ambassador's private collection.
It will be shown at Miami Art Central through
Saturday.
Cintas was a prominent industrialist who
served as Cuban ambassador to the United
States before Castro. ''The Cintas Fellowship
is a very important way of celebrating the
works of Cuban artists who live outside
the island,'' García explained.
If You Go
Cintas Foundation Concert, 8 tonight
at Miami Art Central, 5960 SW 57th Ave.,
Miami. 305-455-3334 or info@miamiartcentral.org
|
