Mexico Increases Oil, Fuel Exports to Cuba Amid Power Grid Failures

(P&GJ) — Mexico is continuing to deliver critical energy aid to Cuba, helping the Caribbean nation confront its escalating electricity and economic crises, according to a report by the Financial Post.

State-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), via its subsidiary Gasolinas Bienestar, sold 3.1 billion pesos (about $166 million USD) worth of crude oil and refined fuel to Cuba in the first quarter of 2025. The shipments included an average of 19,600 barrels per day of crude oil and 2,000 barrels per day of refined petroleum—slightly more than the combined daily average Pemex exported in the latter half of 2023.

Cuba has faced worsening blackouts and repeated power grid failures amid its deepest economic downturn since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The situation has been exacerbated by enduring U.S. sanctions and a prolonged decline in tourism, especially since the pandemic. Over the past four years, these hardships have driven roughly 25% of Cuba’s population to emigrate.

Mexico has described its continued energy exports as part of a broader humanitarian effort. The administration of newly inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum has reaffirmed its support for Cuba, despite the ongoing sanctions imposed by the United States for more than 60 years.

According to Pemex’s June 23 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the deliveries accounted for about 3.3% of the company’s total crude exports and 1.9% of refined product exports. Pemex emphasized that it follows legal compliance procedures for all such transactions.

As Financial Post notes, these energy shipments could play a pivotal role in temporarily stabilizing Cuba’s fragile energy infrastructure, even as long-term solutions remain out of reach.

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