Cuba Faces Severe Power Outages Amidst Fuel Supply Cuts from Mexico and Venezuela

Widespread Power Outages in Cuba

• 🌃 Havana is experiencing increasingly frequent power outages, with some lasting over 9 hours a day.
• 📉 Residents like Zabilisientes report the situation is worsening, impacting daily life, especially for those reliant on electricity due to lack of gas.

Government's Explanation for Blackouts

• 🏚️ Cuba's government attributes the outages to decrepit infrastructure, damage from Hurricane Melissa, and critical fuel shortages.
• ⛽ Approximately 900 megawatts of power generation capacity was offline due to a lack of fuel and lubricants.

Impact of Reduced Fuel Imports

• 📉 Cuba's imports of crude and fuel have fallen by over a third in the first 10 months of the year compared to the previous year.
• ⛽ Key allies Mexico and Venezuela have significantly slashed their fuel supplies to Cuba.
• 📉 Oil imports from Mexico dropped by 73%, and from Venezuela by nearly 15%.

Contributing Factors to Fuel Shortages

• ⛽ Mexico and Venezuela are facing their own output limitations and lack spare capacity to supply Cuba.
• 💸 Cuba's difficulties in paying for fuel on the spot market, combined with reduced availability from allies, have capped fuel imports.
• 🇷🇺 Russia, a past supplier, has sent minimal crude oil this year, similar to the previous year's supply.
• 🚫 Shipping data and internal documents from state oil companies indicate a lack of response to requests for comment.