The Government of Mexico is considering the possibility of sending fuel to Cuba to help them overcome their most recent massive blackout. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated this Wednesday, October 23, that the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) is providing technical assistance to the administration of Miguel Díaz-Canel after the island lost power due to the outage of the main thermoelectric plant, Antonio Guiteras.
"Humanitarian aid is always provided, and they know that we are against the blockade of Cuba. We will always support. We helped Cuba at some point and are looking into whether fuel assistance is needed as humanitarian aid and is for the Cuban people," said Sheinbaum.
The state company Unión Eléctrica (UNE) attributed the energy crisis in Cuba to two causes: the shortage of imported fuel to power the engines and power plants, and the repeated breakdowns of its old thermoelectric plants. Cuba consumes 8 million tons of fuel per year but only produces 3 million, according to the Government.
President Sheinbaum was questioned about the potential help from Mexico sending a new shipment of barrels of oil to assist Cuba in overcoming the energy crisis. The viability of this aid is being evaluated.
During the administration of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico sent 7.4 million barrels of crude oil to Cuba between 2023 and the first two months of 2024. The shipments were made via a tanker supplied with oil from the ports of Pajaritos, Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz; Salina Cruz, Oaxaca; and Tampico.
The island of Cuba has seven Soviet-made thermoelectric plants, built over forty years ago and affected by a chronic investment deficit. Allied countries such as Venezuela, Russia, and Mexico have been providing most of the energy that Cuba needs.
