Cuba Presses Ahead on Solar Power Amid US Fuel Restrictions

Cuba has installed 144 solar farms with roughly 1,418 megawatts of combined capacity, Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy said Monday, as the island's state-run grid continues to run short of imported fuel. The disclosure, made in an interview with Reuters, came as de la O Levy denied any government link to fuel shipments intercepted by the United States and said oil brought in by private firms has not been enough to cover the shortfall.

"We are seeking our own alternative solutions, using our own resources, our sun, wind, tides, fuel, Cuban crude oil and the gas produced in our wells," de la O Levy told Reuters.

How much of Cuba's power comes from renewables?

Renewable sources covered just 9 percent of Cuba's energy consumption as of 2023, according to figures cited from the International Energy Agency. Domestic oil production supplies about 40 percent of the country's electricity, leaving the rest dependent on imports that have grown scarce since January. China has supplied most of the solar panels behind the recent build-out, and shipments from Beijing have increased since fuel restrictions began, according to the report.

Why did the US restrict oil shipments to Cuba?

President Donald Trump halted Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba in early January, cutting off fuel from Havana's closest ally. Later that month, Trump said he would impose tariffs on any country exporting oil to the island, a threat he justified by describing Cuba's government as a "national security" risk, according to Reuters reporting relayed by Al Jazeera. Cuban officials have called the restrictions a blockade and, in statements noted in related coverage, have accused Washington at the United Nations of inflicting "collective punishment" and deliberate humanitarian suffering. The US government has not used the term blockade in describing the tariff threat, framing the measure instead as a response to security concerns tied to the Havana government's alliances.

What has happened to Cuba's fuel supply since the restrictions began?

Only one oil tanker, from Russia, has reached Havana since the Venezuelan shipments stopped, Reuters reported. Washington has allowed increased oil deliveries to Cuba's private sector but has largely blocked fuel exports to the island's nationalized industries, which include the aging state electrical grid. That grid, which Reuters described as antiquated, depends heavily on fossil fuels it can no longer reliably import, contributing to shortages of medicine, water and fuel that de la O Levy said have pushed the country toward a humanitarian crisis.

What is the timeline of the US-Cuba fuel standoff?

• Early January 2026: Trump halts Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, cutting off a primary fuel source for the island's state grid.
• Late January 2026: Trump announces tariffs on countries exporting oil to Cuba, citing national security concerns about Havana's government.
• Since January 2026: Only a single Russian tanker has delivered crude to Havana; US-approved shipments to Cuba's private sector continue but do not reach nationalized industries.
• March 31, 2026: A Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude arrives at the port of Matanzas, according to an AFP photo caption cited in the report.
• Oct. 12, 2026: De la O Levy tells Reuters that Cuba has installed 144 solar farms and is relying on "our own solutions" to offset the fuel gap.

What does Cuba's energy minister say comes next?

De la O Levy said domestic crude production has remained stable but is almost entirely allocated to power generation, leaving little room to ease shortages elsewhere. He acknowledged the country is still short of its targets. "We are surviving and moving forward, little by little, even if not at the pace we would like," he said, adding that Cubans "face long hours of blackouts and lack fuel for cooking and transportation." The minister did not say when the solar build-out might raise renewables above the current single-digit share of the island's energy mix, and the report did not include a response from US officials to the minister's denial of any government link to intercepted fuel shipments.

For now, the gap between Cuba's stated ambitions and its grid's daily output remains wide: 1,418 megawatts of new solar capacity against a national system that still draws the bulk of its power from oil it increasingly cannot buy.