Guantánamo Struggles with Fuel Shortage: Authorities Turn to Private Sector Solutions

Guantánamo province has been grappling with a severe fuel shortage for several days, prompting local authorities to consider purchasing diesel and gasoline from private enterprises, including micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This move aims to sustain essential services amid the crisis, as highlighted in a recent meeting discussing the operational, economic, and social challenges facing the region.

The shortage has had a direct impact on critical sectors such as public health, education, transportation, communications, and water pumping, according to a report by Radio Guantánamo on Thursday.

The diesel deficit has also hindered the transportation of food and basic resources to and within the province. Over 140 tons of rice and 51 tons of beans remain stranded at the Santiago de Cuba port due to the lack of fuel, and essential educational materials for the current school year have yet to reach schools.

In response, Yoel Pérez García, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in Guantánamo, urged local businesses, organizations, and governments to seek out fuel supplies from MSMEs and other non-state entities capable of importing diesel and gasoline.

This strategy is part of the government's approved economic reforms and municipal autonomy efforts. Nevertheless, it highlights a pressing issue: provincial authorities now find themselves reliant on private companies to import fuel, which is not arriving through official channels, to keep state-dependent services operational.

This crisis adds to a series of recent declines in basic services. At the end of August, urban transportation was suspended in communities like Paraguay and Maqueisito due to fuel shortages. Garbage collection was conducted using carts and animal traction, and mango harvests were lost in Río Seco because of a lack of transportation.

The water supply has also been affected. In June, certain areas of Guantánamo faced distribution cycles stretching up to 25 days. There were even considerations by the Guantánamo Hydraulic Resources delegation to use horse-drawn carts for water distribution if fuel supplies were completely depleted.

The provincial meeting also addressed other ongoing issues, including insufficient cash flow in bank branches, failures in milk collection and delivery to the industry, the commercial circulation plan, and hydraulic investments.

Additionally, there is an urgent need to expedite repairs on electrical damage and the replacement of transformers, a problem noted across all Guantánamo municipalities.

Fuel shortages are not a new challenge for Guantánamo. In late August, communities like Paraguay and Maqueisito saw urban transport services halted due to a lack of fuel, garbage collection was managed with primitive methods, and mango crops were left to rot in Río Seco without means of collection.

The shift to MSMEs as diesel suppliers aligns with a policy approved in February, allowing these enterprises to import fuel from abroad through state importers. Since then, fuel purchases from the United States have surged, totaling $156.8 million between January and July, with July alone hitting a record $61.1 million.

Ironically, despite this fuel crisis, Guantánamo recently celebrated the inauguration of the El Algarrobo photovoltaic solar park, touted as an energy advancement but insufficient to reduce reliance on diesel for transport, pumping, and logistics.