Trump Let Oil Into Cuba. Here's Why It Will Still Face Blackouts. | WSJ

TL;DR

Cuba's grid will keep failing because aging Soviet-era plants and oil processing delays mean a single tanker cannot fix structural energy collapse.

Key Points

• 1.Cuba's power grid is structurally broken beyond an oil shortage. Around 40% of capacity comes from decades-old plants running past their lifespan on high-sulfur Cuban crude, producing 25% less electricity in 2024 than in 2019, with failures cascading island-wide due to an interconnected grid.
• 2.Trump's oil blockade worsened blackouts by crippling the distributed grid. The other 40% of Cuba's electricity comes from smaller imported-oil-dependent stations; the blockade cut all shipments, causing daily scheduled power cuts, suspended flights, reduced transit, and failed water aqueducts.
• 3.The Russian tanker's 730,000 barrels will not provide immediate relief. Oil must be transported to refineries, processed into diesel and fuel oil, and trucked across the island — a process that could take a month — while Cuba's state utility reports massive daily deficits.