The collapse of supply from Mexico and Venezuela, according to Reuters data, highlights the severity of the energy collapse in the country.
MADRID, Spain.- The energy crisis in Cuba worsens amid an abrupt drop in fuel imports during 2025. According to documents reviewed by Reutersthe Island received 45,400 barrels per day of crude oil and derivatives in the first ten months of the year, which represents a 35% reduction compared to the same period in 2024, when external purchases were around 69,400 barrels per day.
The agency points out that the Mexican official data Reports reported in the press about “record exports” to Cuba do not coincide with internal records obtained by Reuters, which show a significant drop in shipments. According to the documents, exports from Mexico to Cuba fell by 73%, going from 18,800 barrels per day in 2024 to around 5,000 in 2025. In the case of Venezuela, the reduction was close to 15%, down to about 27,400 barrels per day.
Reuters highlights that these records “deny the record export figures published by the Mexican press” and show the severity of the Cuban energy deficit. The fall in external supply is combined with the chronic deterioration of the national electrical systemaffected by decades of lack of investment and maintenance.
The impact on the generation is immediate. In a recent dispatch, Reuters reported that approximately 900 megawatts, equivalent to “almost a third of daily demand,” were out of service due to lack of fuel and lubricants, which has caused prolonged blackouts in almost all provinces.
The agency adds that, according to energy sector sources consulted, the Mexican and Venezuelan limitations respond both to internal production problems and to a reduction in exportable surpluses. The combination of these factors has left Cuba with an extremely reduced energy margin, dependent on fluctuating imports and an infrastructure that continues to collapse.
The panorama described contrasts with public statements that pointed to an increase in supply from Mexico. The documents reviewed by the agency draw, instead, a scenario of accelerated contraction, in which Havana’s main energy allies send less fuel while internal demand remains stable and the thermoelectric system loses operational capacity.
Meanwhile, blackouts remain a constant for millions of Cubans, who face days of several hours without electricity in a national context marked by shortages, inflation and deterioration of basic services.
