The island nation of Cuba has been experiencing frequent blackouts over the past several years due to the country’s aging power grid which have affected the health and wellbeing of most Cubans. This lack of access to power is due to a variety of factors, including a lack of access to petroleum oil, which the island’s power plants are reliant on. This has sparked anger and protests throughout parts of the island and a stark decline in tourism. 

Cuba has a power grid that was last updated when it was built with help from the Soviet Union. It’s heavily reliant on petroleum with approximately 83% of its power being reliant on the resource, whereas only a small fraction of its infrastructure incorporates other sources of energy such as wind or solar power. So if one source of power fails, the power grid has fewer resources to fall back on, resulting in blackouts of up to 12 hours before the grid is manually restarted. 

Besides the grid itself being faulty, Cuba has also had a plethora of issues in regards to attaining fuel. The sanctions which former President Joe Biden attempted to ease during the final days of his presidency were reinstated and strengthened by President Donald Trump shortly after returning to office. This embargo has cut off Cuba from trading for oil and other goods from the U.S, as well as severely limiting visits from U.S citizens to Cuba. 

Travel to Cuba being restricted for U.S tourists has had an impact on its economy as well, which is heavily dependent on foreign visitors as an income source. The decline in utilities due to poor infrastructure also means that tourists who vacation to Cuba from outside the United States report having a worse experience, deterring future trips. 

To resolve the issue with importing oil, Cuba had turned to Venezuela as a trading partner. However, due to recent actions from the Trump administration in regards to strikes on Venezuela and its ships, the seizures of oil tankers, and the blockade formed around the country, and the capture of they’ve since been unable to continue trade with their allies. 

The lack of oil and funding from tourism has made potential solutions harder to attain as well. Floating thermal power plants brought over from Turkey were being used to provide additional electricity to the island but due to the shortage of fuel to keep the plants running and an inability to keep up with the lease, several have since withdrawn from Cuban waters. 

Despite many challenges, Cuba still seeks to both solve its problems and foster connections with potential allies, cementing itself as a tourism destination once again by seeking assistance from eastern nations.  India has provided technology and investment into the country, alongside China providing disaster relief and Russia helping to prop up trade and imports into the nation.  Increased awareness regarding Cuba’s struggles have also motivated concerned individuals to provide aid as well.