Cuban officials say the island has run out of diesel and fuel oil amid a U.S. energy blockade that has triggered widespread blackouts, fuel shortages, and growing unrest in the capital.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Cuba’s government announced Wednesday that the country has exhausted its remaining diesel and fuel oil supplies, deepening an energy crisis that has left large parts of Havana without electricity for up to 22 hours per day.
Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy said the country’s electrical grid had entered a “critical” stage as fuel reserves reached zero.
“We have absolutely no fuel (oil), and absolutely no diesel,” de la O said during an appearance on Cuban state media. “We have no reserves.”
The minister said Cuba’s power system is now operating solely on limited domestic crude oil production, natural gas, and renewable energy sources, though he acknowledged that instability in the grid has reduced the effectiveness of recently installed solar capacity.
According to Cuban officials, blackouts intensified dramatically over the past two weeks, particularly in Havana, where neighborhoods have experienced rolling outages lasting between 20 and 22 hours daily.
The worsening shortages have fueled public frustration across the capital as residents contend with ongoing shortages of food, medicine, transportation fuel, and basic services.
Reuters reported that protests erupted Wednesday night in several Havana neighborhoods, with demonstrators blocking roads, banging pots, and demanding restoration of electricity service. Protesters were heard chanting “Turn on the lights!” and “The people, united, will never be defeated!” during what Reuters described as the largest night of demonstrations in Havana since the energy crisis intensified.
Cuban officials blamed the crisis primarily on a U.S. fuel blockade that began earlier this year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs against countries shipping fuel to Cuba.
The measures sharply reduced deliveries from traditional suppliers including Venezuela and Mexico. According to multiple reports, neither country has delivered fuel shipments to Cuba since the January order took effect.
Only one major shipment — carried by the Russian-flagged tanker Anatoly Kolodkin — has reached the island since December 2025. The vessel delivered approximately 700,000 barrels of Russian crude oil in late March, providing temporary relief before supplies were exhausted again in recent weeks.
De la O said Cuba remains willing to purchase fuel from any country prepared to sell it despite growing geopolitical pressure and rising energy prices linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
“Cuba is open to anyone that wants to sell us fuel,” the minister said.
The crisis has disrupted transportation, garbage collection, healthcare operations, airline activity, and electricity generation throughout the island nation of nearly 10 million people.
According to reports on the broader 2026 Cuban energy crisis, fuel shortages have forced reductions in public transportation, school closures, and interruptions to food distribution systems. Waste collection services in Havana have also deteriorated because many garbage trucks lack fuel to operate.
The United Nations last week criticized the U.S. blockade, with U.N. human rights experts warning that the measures threatened Cuba’s access to food, healthcare, water systems, and energy infrastructure. The experts described the policy as “energy starvation” and argued it undermined the Cuban population’s rights to development, sanitation, health, and education.
The Cuban government has also argued that restrictions on fuel imports have accelerated deterioration of aging power plants by limiting access to spare parts and maintenance supplies.
The Trump administration has defended its Cuba policy as part of a broader strategy aimed at pressuring the communist-run government economically while targeting entities tied to Cuban security forces and state-controlled industries. Additional sanctions announced this month expanded restrictions on Cuban military-linked businesses and mining operations.
Despite the crisis, Cuba has continued investing in renewable energy projects. Officials said the country installed approximately 1,300 megawatts of solar generation capacity during the past two years, though instability in the national grid has limited the ability to store and distribute much of that energy effectively.
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