The shortage has led to blackouts across the Caribbean nation.
Published on February 5, 2026
Cuba is planning to deal with fuel shortages after the United States cut off supplies to the country.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel announced Thursday his intention to come up with a plan as soon as next week.
Recommended stories
4 List of itemsEnd of list
He said the island nation would increase solar production and use renewable resources to ensure electricity for critical services including hospitals, aged care centers and isolated regions.
Cuba produces about 1,000 megawatts, or 38 percent of the day’s generation, from solar panels, Diaz-Canel said at a news conference. It was established in the last two years with the support of China.
Diaz-Canel said Cuba is working to increase crude oil extraction and storage capacity to promote self-sufficiency.
But he said Cuba also has a “right” to receive deliveries of fuel by sea.
“We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that the country can once again import fuel,” he said.
Tensions rose last week after the US threatened to impose tariffs on countries that send oil to the Caribbean nation. As a result, Cubans have faced growth Food and transportation costs and nationwide blackouts.
Diaz-Canel described the situation as “complex” because he called the US’s role “aggressive and criminal,” affecting things like transportation, hospitals, schools, tourism and food production.
“We are going to take measures that, while not permanent, will require effort. Some … are restrictive, we need to adjust consumption and encourage savings. Some things will have to be stopped or postponed to continue operating in essential areas,” Díaz-Canel said in a two-hour televised news conference.
Cuban officials praised a recent phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, though they did not share details of what transpired in the conversation. Meanwhile, Mexico has pledged to send humanitarian aid, including food, after US President Donald Trump asked Mexico to suspend oil shipments to the island.
“How do we till our soil? How do we get around? How do we put our children in class without fuel?” Diaz-Canel asked.
Trump Last month, Cuba said it would no longer receive oil from its biggest supplier, Venezuela.
A substation failure caused total blackouts in five provinces of eastern Cuba on Wednesday night as the island’s government struggled to keep the lights on with dwindling fuel supplies and failing infrastructure.
A diplomatic blow
Díaz-Canel on Thursday reiterated earlier statements by Cuba’s foreign ministry that it agreed to talk with the US, but with conditions.
“Cuba is willing to participate in dialogue, but the only demand is that the US government not seek to interfere in Cuba’s internal affairs or harm our sovereignty,” the Cuban president said.
Carlos Fernandez de Cosio, Cuba’s top diplomat to the United States, told Reuters news agency this week that Cuba had begun dialogue with the US government but had yet to establish formal bilateral dialogue.