US Fuel Blockade Continues as Cuba Steps Up Renewable Energy

Havana (ANTARA) - Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said renewable energy now contributes more than 20 per cent of the country’s electricity generation, as Cuba seeks to reduce the impact of a fuel blockade imposed by the United States (US).

In a post on his personal X account on Thursday (15 October), Rodriguez said the Cuban government and the Communist Party were responding to the US energy blockade, which he said was “intended to punish all Cuban citizens”, with “greater sovereignty and measured action” to mitigate the impact of US conduct.

Cuba now has 144 solar parks with a combined installed capacity of 1,418 megawatts, while renewable sources account for 21.4 per cent of national electricity production, Rodriguez said.

Cuba also has 44 solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and 64 public charging stations, Rodriguez said. He added that all polyclinics, nursing homes, maternity homes and funeral homes had been equipped with renewable energy facilities.

In January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions and tariffs on countries and entities supplying fuel to Cuba. Havana condemned the measure as an “energy blockade”.

Over the past nine months, Cuba has received only one shipment of crude oil from Russia, totalling about 100,000 tonnes. That amount is sufficient to meet the country’s needs for only two weeks.

Cuba is scheduled to submit a resolution to the UN General Assembly on 29 October for the 34th time, calling for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on the island nation for more than six decades.

According to Cuban government figures, the blockade has caused economic losses of nearly US$179 billion (US$1 = Rp17,948).