The Cuban government is pushing ahead with its plans to transition to renewable energy, amid a de facto oil blockade from the United States that has strangled the island’s economy. In an interview with the news agency on Monday, Cuban Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy explained that the blockade has forced Cuba to explore domestic alternatives to foreign fuel imports. He said 144 solar farms with a combined capacity of about 1,418 megawatts have been installed on the island in recent years.
China has been the largest supplier of solar panels to the island, and shipments have increased since the blockade began in early January. At the time, US President Donald Trump halted all oil shipments from Venezuela, a close ally of the Cuban government. Later that month, Trump also announced he would impose heavy tariffs on any country that exported oil to Cuba, justifying the threat by calling the island’s government a “national security” threat.
Since then, only a single oil tanker from Russia has reached Havana. The US has increased its shipments of oil to Cuba’s private sector, but it has largely barred fuel exports for nationalised industries on the communist-led island. The government-run electrical grid, widely considered to be antiquated, relies heavily on fossil fuels.
Only 40 percent of Cuba’s electricity comes from domestic oil production, according to the International Energy Agency. As of 2023, only nine percent of the country’s energy consumption was covered by renewable sources. De la O Levy admitted in his interview with that the country was facing difficulties.
The blockade has caused shortages of medicine, water and fuel, pushing Cuba to the brink of a humanitarian crisis. We lack fuel, but we are gradually making headway through our own solutions and our people.” Cuba’s production of domestic crude oil remains stable, he added, but is almost entirely allocated to power plants. The United Nations and human rights watchdogs have criticised the oil blockade as a violation of international law.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla also condemned the oil blockade in his speech at the UN General Assembly last month. But since taking office for a second term as president, Trump has sought to squeeze Cuba’s economy further, as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign. His administration has indicated that it wants to topple Cuba’s government.
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