Cuba has been experiencing an energy crisis that has led residents to experience almost daily blackouts and gas cuts. Years of underinvestment in Cuba\u2019s transmission network and power plants have led them to run below capacity, with the country\u2019s energy supply falling far below its demand.<\/p>\n
In addition to localised power outages, in the last eight months, Cuba has experienced four nationwide blackouts. In May, Cuba\u2019s electricity demand rose to 3.05 GW, compared to 2.58 GW in March, as the supply stood at around 1.9 GW. This means that on average, the government can meet between 50 to 70 percent of Cuba\u2019s energy needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The regular blackouts have led people across the country to invest in charcoal stoves, rechargeable batteries and fans, as well as other vital products to use during outages when confronted with soaring temperatures, which many can barely afford.<\/p>\n
In March, when Cuba\u2019s national electrical grid collapsed, most of the island\u2019s population of 10 million was left without power, including those in the capital of Havana. Popular tourist hotels had to rely on generators, while many had no access to power at all. The regular blackouts prompted anti-government demonstrations in 2021, 2022, and 2024, and the problem persists.<\/p>\n
Jorge Pi\u00f1\u00f3n, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin\u2019s Energy Institute, said<\/a> that solving Cuba\u2019s energy crisis would take between three and five years and up to $8 billion in investment.<\/p>\n The crisis comes from years of underinvestment and mismanagement of Cuba\u2019s energy infrastructure, which has placed a significant burden on the country\u2019s existing electricity grid, with little public funds to invest in improvements or in the development of renewable energy projects. Cuba\u2019s National Electric System was developed after 1959 and has been poorly maintained and updated since, due to years of political and economic instability. This has led to issues that can normally be easily fixed, such as transmission line failures, causing widespread outages.<\/p>\n In 2024, the Antonio Guiteras oil-fired power plant ground to a halt, and instead of backup systems coming online to provide power, the outdated systems were unable to detect the system faults, which spurred a nationwide blackout.<\/p>\n In addition to years of underinvestment and a lack of maintenance, Cuba has long relied on substandard fuel, which has strained the system. The Caribbean country depends heavily on domestic, poor-quality heavy crude oil, which is corrosive because of its high sulphur content, adding to the rapid ageing of the country\u2019s power plants.<\/p>\n Cuba\u2019s thermal power plants, powered by crude oil or fuel oil, have become increasingly less reliable in recent years and now run below capacity due to issues like fuel shortages and corrosion. It was not only last year that the 330 MW Antonio Guiteras plant broke down, as the facility has long been difficult to keep running due to the inability of the operator to acquire the parts needed to repair it. This is an issue seen across many of Cuba\u2019s power plants, including the Lidio Ram\u00f3n P\u00e9rez and M\u00e1ximo G\u00f3mez thermal plants. From January to May this year, Cuba\u2019s power plants combined were running at an overall average daily capacity of around 34 percent.<\/p>\n Cuba imports fuel, but its trade links are far from stable. It has relied on neighbouring Venezuela for oil for years, but heavy sanctions on Venezuelan energy in recent years by the United States have led to underinvestment in the South American country\u2019s crude supply, resulting in unstable export volumes.<\/p>\n In recent months, Mexico has sent higher levels of crude to Cuba, with state-owned Pemex shipping an all-time high of 39 shipments of crude and refined products<\/a> to Havana at a value of over $850 million between May 29 and June 27. This value is similar to that of the total amount of oil shipped from Mexico to Cuba over the previous two years, at around $1 billion.<\/p>\n China has increased support for Cuba in recent years to help alleviate the burden on the government to fix the ongoing energy crisis. China is developing 92 solar parks<\/a> that could provide over 2 GW of clean electricity<\/a>, over half of which is expected to be operational by the beginning of 2026. This supports the Cuban government\u2019s goal of achieving an energy mix of 24 percent renewables by 2030. China is also helping the Caribbean Island to modernise its grid by introducing photovoltaic technology, to eventually reduce Cuba\u2019s heavy reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n