Published October 12, 2026
The Cuban government is moving ahead with plans to transition to renewable energy as the U.S. de facto oil blockade weighs on the country’s economy.
Cuba’s Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levi explained in an interview with Reuters on Monday that the blockade has forced Cuba to consider domestic alternatives to importing fuel from abroad.
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“We are exploring our own alternative solutions, using our own resources: the sun, wind, tides, fuel, Cuban crude oil, and gas produced by wells,” de la aux Levy said.
He said 144 solar power plants with a total capacity of about 1,418 megawatts have been installed on the island in recent years.
China is the island’s largest supplier of solar panels, and shipments have increased since the lockdown began in early January.
At the time, US President Donald Trump suspended all oil shipments from Venezuela, a close ally of the Cuban government.
Later that month, President Trump also announced heavy tariffs on countries exporting oil to Cuba, justifying the threat by calling the Cuban government a “national security” threat.
Since then, only one Russian oil tanker has arrived in Havana. The United States has increased oil shipments to Cuba’s private sector, but has largely banned fuel exports to communist-led Cuba’s nationalized industries.
The government-run electricity grid is widely considered outdated and relies heavily on fossil fuels. According to the International Energy Agency, only 40% of Cuba’s electricity comes from domestic oil production.
As of 2023, only 9% of the country’s energy consumption was met by renewable sources.
In an interview with Reuters, De La O Levy acknowledged that the country was facing difficulties. The blockade has led to shortages of medicine, water and fuel, pushing Cuba to the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
“We are surviving and moving forward little by little, even if it is not at the pace we would like,” he said.
“We are facing prolonged power outages and running out of fuel for cooking and transportation. Fuel is scarce, but thanks to our unique solutions and human resources, we are slowly making progress.”
He added that Cuba’s domestic oil production remains stable, but almost all of it is allocated to power plants.
The United Nations and human rights watchdog groups have criticized the oil blockade as a violation of international law.
Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla also condemned the oil blockade in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month.
Rodriguez called the lockdown “an unusual and unprecedented action.”
“A superpower unilaterally deprives all countries of the right to export the goods they want to any country they want.”
The United States has continued to implement economic and trade measures against Cuba for more than 60 years since the Cold War era.
However, since taking office for a second term, President Trump has sought to further squeeze Cuba’s economy as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign. The regime has indicated its intention to overthrow the Cuban government.
On October 7, U.S. authorities announced that they had seized 90 packages of biodiesel worth more than $2.8 million destined for Cuba.
“These shipments were part of an attempt to illegally export fuel to Cuba in violation of federal export laws,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement.
However, in an interview with Reuters, de la O Levi denied that the Cuban government was involved in the shipment.
“No Cuban state-owned company has been able to win fuel contracts, small or large,” he said.
He added that US oil shipments to private companies are far below the country’s requirements.
“I would venture to say that less than 3 percent of the fuel demand is coming into this country,” de la aux Levy said.
