on the road to Moa

Moa is a young industrial town, founded in 1939. Large nickel and cobalt deposits located in the Moa area are exploited in part by a joint venture with the Canadian company Sherritt International. Unfortunately the extensive mining and nickel processing has an impact on the local environment. The soil around the factories has a reddish tint due to the iron ore in the ground.

The nickel production is concentrated on the factories "Pedro Soto Alba" and "Ernesto Che Guevara". While the Nickel Processor Plant "Pedro Soto Alba" is a limited liability company between Cuba and Sherritt International Canadian Company, the "Ernesto Che Guevara" belongs to the government enterprise Cubaníquel. As average per year, The "Soto Alba" and "Che Guevara" produce more than 30.000 tons of nickel each.

But there is also a large abandoned factory there, which is currently being demolished. While it's strictly forbidden to visit and photograph such facilities, we managed to go in and make some interesting shots.