Cuba looks to marabu weed for fresh power

A British company has just signed the first foreign investment deal in Cuba in a long time - a project to build a renewable energy power plant, to run a sugar mill and power a wide area of housing and businesses.

The plant will be powered by the marabu weed - which is currently strangling Cuban agriculture after taking over huge swathes of idle farmland.

Havana Energy says the project has the double benefit of clearing that land for use again and creating energy for the surrounding area, as well as being more environmentally friendly than diesel.

The firm is also planning to export the weed to Europe, as their research has revealed its excellent properties as activated carbon.

Havana Energy Chief Executive Andrew Macdonald showed the BBC's Sarah Rainsford around the sugar mill.