The Minister of Energy and Mines of Cuba, Vicente de la O Levy, acknowledged this 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. In the face of criticism over power outages, the official insisted twice that "the road is long."
His statements come at a critical moment 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 leave approximately 74% of the country without electricity at the same time, the highest level of disruption recorded since official statistics have been kept.
During his speech, De la O Levy acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and assured that the country does not have the necessary fuel to meet its energy needs.
"We do not have fuel, and we do not foresee any fuel being available in the volumes our economy needs," he stated.
The minister explained that, under normal conditions, Cuba requires about eight million tons of fuel per year, of which approximately half is allocated to electricity generation.
"Today we did not receive any fuel, absolutely nothing," she admitted.
In this context, the head of Energy defended the Government's strategy to reduce dependence on imports.
"The road is long, it is sovereign, it is with the development of Cuban fuel, with national crude, with gas, and with renewable energies, which is not just solar," he stated.
The official reiterated the same idea later while justifying the slow progress.
"The road is long, but we keep walking, and besides, every step we take is blocked."
According to De la O Levy, U.S. sanctions hinder the arrival of essential equipment and supplies to alleviate the crisis.
He assured that there are containers with solar panels, food, and medicine being held in ports near Cuba that cannot enter the country.
He also stated that part of those resources was allocated to teachers, doctors, sports heroes, "heroes of labor," and children who depend on electricity.
Regarding these last ones, he acknowledged that there are still numerous unresolved cases.
"There are still many to resolve, many children to resolve," he noted.
An electrical system on the brink of collapse
The minister's remarks come amid one of the worst energy crises Cuba has experienced in decades.
During July, the National Electric System has experienced multiple 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 that lasted for 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 on strategic sectors of the Cuban economy and established new measures aimed at complicating energy supply to the island.
A problem that the Government had anticipated itself
This is not the first time the minister has warned about the seriousness of the situation.
In May, it had already been stated that Cuba had "absolutely no fuel" or "absolutely no diesel," and that the electrical 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 difficult year and that power outages would continue to affect the population.
Despite the complex situation, De la O Levy concluded his speech with a message directed at the workers in the electric sector and reiterated the Government's commitment to continue seeking alternatives.
"We will continue working to find solutions," he asserted, although he did not provide a timeline on when the prolonged power outages affecting millions of Cubans daily might begin to improve.
Filed under: