Díaz-Canel comments on fuel shortages

2023-04-16 12:16:34

Fuel in Cuba has been running out once more for a few days. Long queues form in front of Havana’s gas stations, some of which are several hundred meters long, and where the drivers spend the night. There is also little fuel in other parts of the country, and transport is severely restricted. Most recently, the fuel shortage also had an impact on power generation, resulting in individual shutdowns. On Friday, President Díaz-Canel provided information regarding the causes of the situation.

According to this, Cuba currently has less than 400 tons of the 500 to 600 tons of fuel that the country needs every day. The main reason for this is backlogs of deliveries, as some of the main suppliers themselves were “in difficult energy situations” and therefore might not keep their promises. One of Cuba’s main suppliers of oil and fuel is Venezuela, which supplies the island under a bilateral agreement in exchange for the service of Cuban doctors. The Archyde.com news agency reports, citing internal documents, that the Venezuelan state-owned company PDVSA has increased its deliveries since January from 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 52,000 bpd in February and 76,000 bpd in March.

Line in front of a gas station in Havana (Source: Cubadebate)

“The situation is different with diesel. Apart from the situations mentioned, we have guaranteed deliveries here. This ship arrived in Santiago de Cuba and broke down there, preventing it from continuing to other ports in Cuba in time, which has caused a delay in the distribution of fuel,” said Díaz-Canel.

The situation is further exacerbated by the increased use of decentralized diesel power plants, which are needed to compensate for the ongoing maintenance work on the large power plants. “A significant portion of the diesel has gone into power generation,” says Díaz-Canel. Now the supply has come to a head here as well, which is why there have been power cuts once more.

The crisis might, however, continue for some time. Currently, “we still have no clear idea of ​​how we will get out of this situation,” said the Cuban head of state.

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