The lack of supply of fossil fuels aggravates the situation of energy poverty in Cuba. Gasoline shortages prevent the normal operation of public transportation and five universities in the country, including the Agrarian University of Havana, due to the lack of electricity. According to international news agencies present in Cuba, these five institutions of higher education asked their students to follow their classes telematically because their campuses could not function normally.
According to reports by EFE and AFP news agencies, the volume of motor vehicles circulating on the streets of the Cuban capital has dropped significantly in recent weeks due to fuel shortages. The official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Granma, admits supply problems for the Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet) for at least "several months", citing the explanations of Néstor Pérez Franco, general director of the country's most important oil company.
⛽Desde hace varios meses la Unión #Cuba -Petróleo ha afrontado limitaciones en las importaciones de crudos refinables y derivados del diésel y de la gasolinahttps://t.co/9gzpdTjOwt pic.twitter.com/5DOdKHE0Op
— Periódico Granma (@Granma_Digital) April 24, 2023
The Cuban government blames its partners
According to international news agencies, the power utility asked users to mail in their electricity meter records because many company employees could not travel to check the meters in person due to a lack of fuel for their vehicles .
The government of Miguel Díaz-Canel blames the fuel supplying countries, which did not meet their deliveries to Cuba due to a "complex situation" for them as well. According to Díaz-Canel's speech to the media, of the 600 tons of fuel received daily by Cuba for electricity consumption, only 400 tons have been arriving daily for several weeks.
Russia and Venezuela were the two major fuel suppliers until now. The Cuban authorities evoke a breakdown on a supply ship in the bay of Santiago de Cuba. This problem is in addition to the war in Ukraine and the severe economic crisis in Venezuela, which prevent an adequate supply.
