Satellite data shows Cuba night lights drop 50 percent

17:15

By: Dakir Madiha

Satellite data shows Cuba night lights drop 50 percent

Cuba is facing its most severe energy crisis in decades, with satellite imagery showing that nighttime lighting across the island has fallen sharply after efforts by the Trump administration to restrict its oil supply. The shortages have plunged large parts of the country into darkness, grounded international flights and forced widespread rationing of fuel and essential services.

An analysis by Bloomberg based on satellite images found that night light intensity in major eastern cities such as Santiago de Cuba and Holguín has dropped by as much as 50 percent since the United States began tightening restrictions on fuel shipments. The communist-run island has gone more than a month without significant fuel deliveries. Supplies from Venezuela were cut off in mid-December following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, while Mexico halted shipments under the threat of tariffs.

The fuel crunch has had immediate consequences for air travel. Cuba’s nine international airports ran out of jet fuel on February 10, prompting Air Canada to cancel all 16 of its weekly flights to the island and leading WestJet to suspend operations. Official aviation notices indicate that the shortage is expected to last at least until March 11. Russia announced this week that it would evacuate its tourists from Cuba and temporarily suspend airline operations to the country.

Tourism, one of Cuba’s few remaining sources of foreign currency, has been hit hard. Major hotel chains including Meliá, Iberostar and Valentin Hotels and Resorts have begun closing properties in Varadero and the northern cayos, relocating guests to consolidated facilities. Tourist arrivals had already fallen 18 percent last year to their lowest level in two decades, excluding the pandemic period.

In response to the crisis, the Cuban government has introduced strict austerity measures. School hours have been reduced, hospital stays shortened and government offices limited to four day workweeks. Fuel sales have been capped at roughly five gallons per customer, payable only in dollars.

The state electricity company reported power generation deficits nearing 2,000 megawatts this week, with blackouts lasting up to 24 consecutive hours in some regions. President Miguel Díaz Canel said on February 6 that Cuba had not received any foreign oil since December due to what he described as pressure and an oil blockade imposed by the United States government.

International partners have begun to step in with humanitarian support. Two Mexican Navy vessels arrived in Havana carrying more than 800 tons of aid, including food and powdered milk. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to send additional shipments and said her government is pursuing diplomatic efforts to restore oil deliveries. Chile’s outgoing government also agreed to dispatch humanitarian assistance.

Russia’s embassy in Havana announced that oil and petroleum products would be sent to Cuba in the near future as humanitarian aid, marking the first such delivery since February 2025. Energy specialists caution that these measures may only provide temporary relief. Jorge Piñón, an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin, told The New York Times that if no oil tanker reaches Cuba in the second half of March, the country could face a desperate situation.