Cuba is currently in a tough spot when it comes to energy, and the recent arrival of a Russian oil tanker could be a drop in the bucket to help the struggling island nation. For the first time in over two months, Cuba has received a shipment of 730,000 barrels of crude oil. This is like a faint glimmer of hope in a dark room, but the reality is that this shipment won’t turn things around overnight. The White House has made it clear that its policies regarding Cuba haven’t changed, and the energy crisis on the island is still looming large.
The problems with Cuba’s energy grid are as deep as the ocean. Approximately 40% of the island’s electricity comes from just seven aging power plants, many of which were built decades ago and are now running on borrowed time. These plants have faced continuous maintenance issues and produce electricity from high-sulfur crude oil, which is not exactly the best fuel for keeping the lights on. In fact, last year, Cuba’s grid generated 25% less electricity than it did in 2019, leading to a troubling series of island-wide blackouts.
The interconnected nature of Cuba’s electricity grid means that when one plant stumbles, the entire system can falter. The most recent widespread outage was traced back to troubles at the Novita’s plant, but this is not an isolated incident. Failures at the largest plant, Antonio Geras, have contributed to multiple blackouts in recent years. To tackle the crisis, Cuba created a network of smaller power stations, which account for another 40% of electricity. However, these smaller stations rely heavily on imported oil which has become increasingly scarce due to President Trump’s blockade, making the situation worse.
While the blockade hasn’t directly caused blackouts, it certainly hasn’t helped matters. The diminishing oil supply means that Cuba is running low on the fuel needed to keep its smaller power stations operating efficiently. Daily life for Cubans has been increasingly tough—scheduled power cuts last for hours, public transportation is hindered, and international flights have been cut off, straining the country’s tourism, which is vital for economic health. To add to the challenges, some water systems have stopped functioning altogether, leaving many without access to clean water.
Cuba’s economy seems to resemble a ship with a hole in the hull, making it hard to stay afloat. For decades, it remained afloat thanks to subsidies from the Soviet Union and, more recently, Venezuela. However, with those lifelines cut, Cuba finds itself in dire straits. Although the country produces enough crude oil to potentially power its larger plants indefinitely, the lack of investment in renewable energy and dependence on imported oil make the situation bleak. New oil shipments, like the recent one from Russia, might provide some temporary relief, but the reality is that processing and transporting that oil across the island can take much longer than anyone wants. If regular shipments don’t resume, it appears that the frustration of blackouts and shortages is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
