Government of Cuba places its hopes on an oil well in Varadero

In the middle of a serious fuel crisis that has plunged Cuba into blackouts and transportation shortages, the government announced an oil drilling project in hopes of alleviating the population's concern over the lack of solutions.

The Union Cuba Oil (CUPET), in collaboration with Chinese specialists, has completed the work for the exploitation of one of the "most challenging oil wells in the world" and is very close to Varadero.

The Cuban official journalist Bernardo Espinosa revealed on social networks that the well, cataloged as Varadero VDW-1012, has achieved a record with a horizontal length of 8,047 meters from the coast of Boca de Camarioca towards the sea.

This project has been widely celebrated by the regime as "a feat of national engineering", led by Cuban experts and executed by the Union Cuba Oil, with the support of the Chinese company "Great Wall".

Oil drilling is approaching the production phase. The expectation is that the extracted oil will be used for the production of electricity in thermal power plants in the country, providing an immediate response to the growing need for energy on the island.

The Cuban Electrical Union announced, a few days ago, the exploitation of another significant deposit, the Canasi 300 Project, intended to achieve the extraction of natural gas that will also contribute to the country's electricity generation.

They assured that these initiatives are part of an effort to achieve greater energy independence through the exploitation of national resources.

In August 2023 they also announced the search for high quality oil near the province of Matanzas by the Australian company Melbana Energy.

However, this news is not enough for Cubans, because it does not change their daily reality. The people are overwhelmed by repression, the prolonged economic decline, the increase in blackouts, famine, inflation and the worsening of poverty.

The situation of discontent is such on the island that some Cubans predict a possible social outbreak, at the least expected moment.

In this context of urgency and uncertainty, the government chooses to publicize these own energy exploitation initiatives, despite knowing that they are high-cost projects and whose benefits may not be immediate.