Cuba Resists Oil Blockade and Advances in Energy Transformation

Cuba is today resisting a brutal oil blockade while simultaneously advancing its energy sovereignty strategy, assured First Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines, Argelio Jesús Abad.

The senior official spoke with Prensa Latina following a working visit to Uruguay, where he participated in the VIII Conference of Energy Ministers of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Abad expressed that the island is experiencing one of the hardest trials in its history as a consequence of the brutal intensification of the U.S. blockade and the threat of military aggression. He recalled that since January, Washington decreed an oil blockade against his country, which it declared an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the sovereignty of the northern power. This, he said, is the pretext that "seeks to asphyxiate our people" and threatens to impose tariffs on any country that exports fuel to Cuba.

In May, President Donald Trump also signed a new Executive Order establishing further sanctions in the energy sector. In six months, only one fuel ship has arrived in Cuba, he stated, mentioning several effects of the most recent punishments against the Caribbean island. The Trump administration has intercepted at least seven tanker vessels bound for Cuba, reducing Cuban oil imports by between 80 and 90 percent, he added. He noted that through this action, Washington "intimidates and threatens all our suppliers, in violation of the norms of free trade and freedom of navigation."

He indicated that this causes blackouts of up to 30 hours or more in his country, affecting the refrigeration of food and medicines, with serious humanitarian consequences. At the same time, he continued, 40 foreign banks have refused to operate with Cuba and 140 bank transfers have been blocked, many of them related to payments for the purchase of solar and wind technology.

He explained that "despite having recovered and made available over 1,100 MW of distributed generation, we are unable to put it into operation due to the absolute lack of fuel."

Abad affirmed that Cuba is not surrendering and is advancing its energy transition strategy, based on the development of renewable sources, energy efficiency, and technological sovereignty. Our plan, he advanced, aims for more than 24 percent of electricity generation to come from clean energy by 2030, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and contributing to the global fight against climate change.

He described the penetration of renewable energy as a qualitative leap. "From barely three percent in 2024, we reached nearly 10 percent by the end of 2025, with the installation of 52 photovoltaic solar parks" that today generate 38 percent of the energy consumed during daytime hours. He also mentioned the execution of two large-scale photovoltaic mega-projects that will contribute to the stability of the national electrical system, and the installation of batteries to regulate frequency and prevent system collapses.

At the local level, he continued, more than 5,000 social modules operate in isolated communities, health centers, bakeries, and other basic services, benefiting children with special conditions who require climate control.

Abad praised that his country achieved in 2025 its highest crude oil production in the last seven years, a vital effort to supply thermal power plants and replace imports.

"They want to paralyze our country, plunge us into asphyxiation, but we resist and advance with the goal of achieving energy sovereignty and resuming our socio-economic development," he concluded.