Cuba is definitely out of fuel. Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, announced this Wednesday afternoon that they do not have a drop of diesel or fuel oil (fuel oil), vital to power the country’s battered electrical grid, which suffers from constant and increasingly prolonged blackouts. “We have absolutely no fuel oil, nor absolutely any diesel. We no longer have reserves,” the minister detailed in a television statement. “Cuba is open to anyone who wants to sell us fuel,” he added without mentioning the harsh energy blockade imposed by the United States, which is tightening more while maintaining an open negotiation channel with a Castro regime seeking some room for maneuver as the population survives on the edge. Last night, there were citizen protests over the blackouts in Havana.
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Since late January, the White House has maintained an oil siege on the island, threatening sanctions and tariffs on anyone supplying energy to the island. After losing its main suppliers, Venezuela and Mexico, due to the blockade, the Castro regime is going through its worst supply crisis, which, in addition to blackouts that have left the entire island in darkness, is triggering serious problems in basic services such as hospitals and transportation.
“The situation is very tense, it is getting hotter,” added the minister, who also announced that they have completely used up the last shipment from abroad. At the end of March, a Russian oil tanker arrived at Cuban ports with 100,000 tons of crude. Two-thirds of Cuba’s energy demand was covered by fuel imports, mainly from Venezuela and Mexico. 80% of the energy mix is based on 16 thermoelectric generation units and various fuel oil and diesel engines scattered across the country.
The Cuban energy grid now depends, the minister added, only on scarce Cuban crude, natural gas, and renewables. Cuba has an installed capacity of 1,300 megawatts of solar energy thanks to panels installed by Chinese companies over the last two years. But much of that energy is lost because it cannot be stored in electric batteries due to the instability of the precarious energy grid. “In Havana, blackouts now exceed 20-22 hours (per day),” said de la O Levy.
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China, an ally of Havana for decades, has been one of the pillars of foreign aid that the Castro regime had been receiving. Trump is currently in Beijing. On Tuesday, before traveling, he sent a message that seems to be interpreted as a bet on the diplomatic route. “Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!” he posted on his social network. This Wednesday, the State Department issued a statement offering the island 100 million dollars in aid to carry out “significant reforms to Cuba’s communist system.”
At the same time, the Republican further tightened sanctions on May 1, applying penalties to almost anyone or entity not American that maintains commercial relations with the island, especially in the energy, defense, security, and finance sectors. It is the carrot and stick strategy, used by Trump whenever possible, and in recent weeks rumors have joined about a possible intervention on the island.
Besides some heated statements, CNN reported a large number of flights by US spy planes and drones. Since February 4, the US Air Force and Navy have completed at least 25 such flights, mostly around Cuba’s two main cities, Havana and Santiago. This type of activity also increased around Venezuela in the weeks prior to the January 3 operation.
