Cuba to drill five oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico

Cuba expects to soon start drilling exploratory wells in the Gulf of Mexico and produce four million tons of oil and gas in 2011, a Cuban oil industry official said Friday.

"This year the oil production is surpassing the plan," said engineer Rafael Tenreyro Perez, exploration manager at the state-run company Cubapetroleo (CUPET).

He said the island nation is extending its cooperation programs with foreign partners in the Gulf of Mexico and also on land.

Right now, domestic oil production can only meet half of the country's energy demands, with the rest coming from its political ally Venezuela.

According to official data, Cuba produced about four million tons of oil and drilled 25 wells last year.

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