Havana is bracing for hardship. Cuba’s government announced Friday it will ration fuel, expand remote work, and move to hybrid learning at universities as it confronts a deepening energy crisis sparked by dwindling oil supplies.
The measures, approved during an extraordinary Council of Ministers meeting, signal a return to austerity measures reminiscent of the “Special Period” following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Fuel Shortages Force Drastic Steps
Vice Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva stated the government will prioritize limited fuel resources to maintain “vital” services and key economic activities—particularly tourism, a crucial source of foreign revenue. “We are not going to collapse, because the Cuban people do not collapse,” Pérez-Oliva asserted during a televised address.
The government will also facilitate imports of fuel by private companies with the means to do so, and distribute solar panels to essential workers, social centers, and banks. These steps follow an announcement the previous day by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who indicated the emergency plan would draw lessons from the “indications” of former President Fidel Castro during the challenging “Special Period” of the 1990s.
- Cuba is implementing fuel rationing and other austerity measures.
- The crisis stems from a lack of oil supplies, exacerbated by external factors.
- The government is prioritizing essential services and seeking alternative fuel sources.
- The current situation evokes memories of the economic hardship of the 1990s.
Díaz-Canel specifically invoked the concept of “Option Zero,” a survival plan from the 1990s that envisioned a scenario of “zero petroleum.” This involved extreme rationing, reliance on animal power, wood-fueled cooking, non-motorized transport, and self-sufficiency in food production. Pérez-Oliva affirmed the government intends to “boost” agricultural development in cities and homes to offset declining agricultural output due to the fuel shortage.
The fuel shortages will impact workplaces, universities, and passenger transportation. Labor Minister Jesús Otamendiz announced the promotion of telework and the relocation of state enterprise employees. Higher Education Minister Walter Baluja stated universities will transition to a hybrid model of in-person and remote classes. Train routes will be particularly affected, with national routes now running every eight days per destination, according to Transport Minister Eduardo Rodríguez.
A Chronic Energy Crisis
Cuba has been grappling with a severe energy crisis since mid-2024, stemming from frequent breakdowns at its aging thermoelectric plants and a lack of foreign currency to import necessary fuels. The situation was further complicated by a U.S. military operation in Caracas on January 3, which effectively ended a vital energy supply line to the island.
Experts estimate Cuba requires 110,000 barrels of oil daily, and that Venezuela supplied approximately 30,000 barrels in 2025. Further pressure came on January 29, when then-U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs on countries supplying Cuba with petroleum. Jorge Piñón, a Cuban energy expert at the University of Texas, warned that without new oil shipments, Cuba would face a “grave crisis” by March.
So far this year, Cuba has received only one tanker carrying approximately 86,000 barrels of crude oil, originating from Mexico.
