Long-time ally Venezuela slashed fuel shipments to Cuba by half this year as it struggles to assure supply at home. Allies Russia and Mexico have also cut exports to Cuba, forcing the cash-strapped government to seek far pricier fuel on the spot market.
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The situation came to a head on Friday, when Cuba’s largest power plant malfunctioned, joining several smaller plants already offline. Foul weather had also stalled the arrival of fuel from tanker ships offshore, starving the island’s power plants. The combination prompted the entire grid to collapse.
Is the United States at fault?
Cuba has long blamed the US Cold War-era trade embargo as well as more recent sanctions by former President Donald Trump for its electricity woes, allegations repeated by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Thursday.
The US denies any role in the recent grid collapse.
US sanctions, however, do complicate financing of fuel purchases and spare parts for Cuba. They also scare off many oil tankers, forcing Cuba and Venezuela to depend on their own obsolete fleet for transportation.
But Cuba’s government has also acknowledged its own shortfalls. Rampant corruption, bureaucracy and vast inefficiencies have brought its state-run economy to its knees, leaving the government with no surplus funds to update its electrical grid.
How are Cubans responding?
Life in Cuba has become extraordinarily difficult. Millions suffer daily without electricity in the sultry Caribbean climate, leading to soaring levels of mosquito-borne illness. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans are now without water, in part due to power outages that cripple water supply and infrastructure.
Vast and growing shortages of food, fuel and medicine also complicate life on the island. Months of hours-long daily blackouts have wiped out precious stores of frozen foods, putting a majority in ever more precarious situations. Frustration is nearly universal.
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Under a government that does not tolerate protests, many make their unhappiness known by emigrating, contributing to a record-breaking exodus off the island since 2020.
What solutions has the Cuban government proposed?
Cuba’s government says it has begun investing in a long-term plan to produce a growing percentage of its electricity from renewable sources, primarily solar. It is also investing to produce more crude oil domestically.
State-run media this week reported that 26 solar farms were under construction throughout the country, with the goal of installed capacity of 1000 megawatts, or about a third of existing demand, in two years. Another similar project is due to be completed by 2031.
Economic crisis, fuel shortages and funding shortfalls have slowed progress, forcing it to continue to rely on its obsolete power plants in the near term.
Has a grid collapse happened before?
Yes. Following the passage of Hurricane Ian in September 2022, Cuba’s grid collapsed, leaving the entire country without power for several days.
Authorities eventually re-established service, but not before protests broke out in various cities across the island, including Havana.
Reuters
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