Cuba’s worsening energy crisis is expected to deepen after the country exhausted a donated shipment of Russian oil, Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said, as prolonged blackouts and fuel shortages fueled growing public frustration across the island.
Speaking on Cuban state television on Wednesday, de la O Levy described the situation as “very tense” and confirmed that the country had “absolutely no diesel” or fuel oil remaining to sustain its struggling electrical grid.
The shortages have left many areas, including parts of Havana, facing blackouts lasting between 20 and 22 hours per day, according to the minister.
Cuban officials said the Russian oil donation delivered in late March was depleted in early May, leaving the island increasingly reliant on limited domestic gas production and fluctuating solar energy supplies.
De la O Levy said solar panels donated by China were contributing to electricity generation, but unstable weather conditions and the absence of battery storage systems limited their effectiveness, especially during nighttime peak demand.
Hospitals, schools, and government offices have been disrupted by the ongoing outages, while tourism, one of Cuba’s key economic sectors, has also been affected.
Many residents have struggled to complete basic daily activities, with some waking during brief periods of electricity availability to cook, wash clothes, or charge phones and electric mopeds.
Small protests broke out in Havana and other areas on Wednesday night as hundreds of Cubans reportedly blocked roads, burned rubbish, and shouted anti-government slogans demanding the restoration of electricity.
Residents in the San Miguel del Padron neighborhood were heard shouting “turn on the lights!” during the demonstrations.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed the shortages on what he described as a “genocidal energy blockade” imposed by the United States.
Washington has increased sanctions against Cuba in recent months and reiterated an offer of $100 million in humanitarian assistance tied to “meaningful reforms to Cuba’s communist system.”
Cuban officials rejected accusations from the United States and condemned the sanctions as “illegal and abusive.”