Cuba’s Ongoing Power Crisis: A Perfect Storm of Deteriorating Infrastructure, Fuel Shortages, and Rising Demand
Repercussions of the Crisis
HAVANA/HOUSTON: Cuba’s communist-run government has shut down schools and non-essential industry, and sent most government workers home, in an attempt to conserve energy and stem blackouts that now exceed 12 hours a day for millions of people across the island.
The Perfect Storm
The crisis marks a new low on an island where life has become increasingly unbearable, with residents already suffering from crippling shortages of food, fuel, water, and medicine. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero has attributed the blackouts to a perfect storm of deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand.
Fuel Shortage: The Biggest Factor
The fuel shortage is the biggest factor, according to Marrero, who also blamed the US Cold War-era embargo and a fresh round of sanctions under former president Donald Trump for difficulties in acquiring fuel and spare parts to operate its oil-fired plants.
Deteriorating Infrastructure and Under-Producing Power Plants
Cuba’s two largest power plants, Antonio Guiteras and Felton, are both under-producing, and will soon be taken offline for maintenance, part of a four-year plan to revitalize Cuba’s decrepit infrastructure. The island’s fast-growing private businesses, which have contributed to increased demand on the island, will be charged higher rates for the energy they consume to compensate for shortfalls.
Fading Shipments
While demand for electricity grows, fuel supply has all but dried up on an island that produces comparatively little of its own. Cuba’s largest oil supplier, Venezuela, has reduced shipments to the island to an average of 32,600 barrels per day (bpd) in the first nine months of the year, about half of the 60,000 bpd sent in the same period of 2023. Russia and Mexico, which have sent fuel to Cuba in the past, have also greatly reduced shipments to the island.
Short-Term Solutions
Electricity officials expect power generation to improve in the coming days as the weather allows fuel from prior deliveries to be distributed around the Caribbean’s largest island. However, long-term solutions are needed to address the underlying issues of deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the causes of Cuba’s current power crisis?
A: The crisis is attributed to a perfect storm of deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand.
Q: How has the government responded to the crisis?
A: The government has shut down schools and non-essential industry, and sent most government workers home, in an attempt to conserve energy and stem blackouts.
Q: What is the current situation with fuel supplies?
A: Fuel supplies are severely limited, with Cuba’s largest oil supplier, Venezuela, reducing shipments to the island and Russia and Mexico also reducing their deliveries.
Q: What is the outlook for the future?
A: Electricity officials expect power generation to improve in the coming days, but long-term solutions are needed to address the underlying issues of deteriorating infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising demand.