Latin America Advisor

Energy Advisor

A Publication of The Dialogue

Will Cuba Be Able to Strengthen its Electrical Grid?

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel is facing public protests as Cubans suffer rolling electricity blackouts. // File Photo: @DiazCanelB via X.

Civil unrest broke out in Santiago, Cuba’s second-largest city, on March 17 when hundreds of protesters gathered to decry food shortages and electricity blackouts. Considering the growing frequency of the blackouts­—entire parts of the island are going powerless for 14-plus hours a day—are blackouts a sign of the island’s larger economic problems or primarily an issue of infrastructure and the electricity grid? What actions does the administration of President Miguel Díaz-Canel need to take in order to fix the nation’s power sector? Will protests place enough pressure on the government to cause a change in policies?

Ricardo Torres Perez, research fellow at American University: “The recurrent power outages have been occurring for several years, with severe periods like the one we are currently experiencing. Cuban authorities cite two main causes: fuel shortages and the deterioration of power plants. In both cases, the issue is tied to the current economic crisis and, more broadly, to the prolonged stagnation of the Cuban economy. The lack of foreign currency prevents the purchase of the necessary fuel, which Venezuela previously supplied, but whose shipments have been reduced. Additionally, the lack of capital maintenance and low spare parts inventory has significantly reduced the technical availability of the plants. In the short term, increasing fuel imports largely depends on favorable agreements with allies such as Russia or Mexico. The recovery of the electrical infrastructure and the increase in the penetration of renewable energy sources will…”

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About the Energy Advisor

A sister publication of the Inter-American Dialogue’s daily Latin America Advisor, the weekly Energy Advisor captures fresh analysis from business leaders and government officials on the most important developments in oil and gas, biofuels, the power sector, renewables, new technologies, and the policy debates shaping the future of energy in the Western Hemisphere and beyond. To subscribe or for more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.


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Gene Kuleta

Editor
P. 202.463.2920
E. gkuleta@thedialogue.org

Carl David Goette-Luciak

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Nili Blanck

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