Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged on Wednesday that the energy crisis affecting the island does not have a short-term solution and admitted that the country lacks the necessary fuel to stabilize the National Electric System. Amid criticism over power outages, the official insisted twice that "the road is long."
Your statements come at the most critical time for the Cuban electrical system. This Wednesday, the Electric Union (UNE) predicted a deficit of 2,380 megawatts (MW) during peak demand hours, a figure that could simultaneously leave approximately 74% of the country without electricity, the highest level of impact recorded since official statistics have been kept.
During his speech, De la O Levy acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and stated that the country does not have the fuel needed to meet its energy needs.
"We do not have fuel, and we do not foresee that there will be fuel in the volumes that our economy needs," he stated.
The minister explained that, under normal conditions, Cuba requires around eight million tons of fuel each year, of which about half is used for electricity generation. "Today we are not receiving fuel, absolutely nothing," he admitted.
In this context, the Minister of Energy defended the Government's strategy to reduce dependence on imports. "The road is long, it is sovereign, it involves the development of Cuban fuel, with national crude oil, with gas, and with renewable energies, which is not just solar," he stated.
The official reiterated the same idea later when justifying the slow progress. "The road is long, but we are making our way, and besides, every step we take is being blocked."
According to De la O Levy, U.S. sanctions hinder the arrival of essential equipment and supplies to alleviate the crisis. In this regard, he stated that there are containers with solar panels, food and medicines held in ports near Cuba that cannot enter the country.
He also stated that part of those resources were allocated to teachers, doctors, sports legends, "heroes of labor," and children with electrical dependencies. Regarding the latter, he acknowledged that there are still numerous unresolved cases. "There are still many to address, many children to resolve," he noted.
An electrical system on the brink of collapse
The minister's statements come amid one of the worst energy crises Cuba has experienced in decades.
During July, the National Electric System has experienced several collapses and has recorded historic generation deficits, with blackouts lasting up to 20 hours or more in numerous provinces.
In March, in addition, the country experienced the longest national blackout of the year, with a service interruption lasting 29 hours and 29 minutes.
The fuel shortage is due to a combination of internal and external factors.
In 2026, supplies from Venezuela were significantly reduced, while Russia and Mexico also decreased or suspended some of their shipments.
This is compounded by U.S. sanctions. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14404 on May 1, which expanded restrictions and established new measures aimed at hindering energy supplies to the island.
A problem that the Government itself had anticipated
It is not the first time the minister has warned about the seriousness of the situation. Last May, he already stated that Cuba had "absolutely no fuel" or "absolutely no diesel," and that the electric system was surviving thanks to the use of associated gas and national crude oil.
Even in December 2025, I had anticipated that 2026 would be an especially challenging year and that blackouts would continue to affect the population.
Despite the complex situation, De la O Levy concluded his remarks with a message addressed to the workers in the electric sector and reiterated the government's commitment to continue seeking alternatives. "We will keep working on finding solutions," he stated, although he did not provide a timeline for when the prolonged power outages affecting millions of Cubans daily might start to improve.
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