Cuba announces complete exhaustion of fuel reserves as energy crisis deepens

Cuba has completely exhausted its fuel reserves, the country's energy minister announced, leaving the island with no diesel or fuel oil stocks to sustain its already battered electrical grid, El País reported.

The minister stated plainly that Cuba has "absolutely nothing" remaining in reserve, underscoring the severity of a crisis that has plunged much of the population into prolonged blackouts. Diesel and fuel oil are the primary inputs for Cuba's thermoelectric power plants, making their depletion a direct threat to any remaining electricity generation capacity.

The announcement comes barely two weeks after the United States intensified economic pressure on the island, further constricting Cuba's ability to procure energy supplies on international markets. The timing has left Cuban authorities with almost no room to manoeuvre as demand for power remains acute.

The depletion raises urgent questions about how the government intends to maintain basic public services in the days and weeks ahead, with no immediate solution publicly outlined.