CUPET Announces Resumption of Liquefied Gas Sales in Cuba

The Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET) has informed its customers about the resumption of rationed sales of liquefied gas due to the arrival of a shipment of this fuel at the ports of Santiago de Cuba and Havana. "The service will be gradually restored in the western and eastern provinces, and subsequently in the central region. Sales to the population will be extended until distribution stabilizes," stated the state-owned company in a communication.

The distribution and sale of this highly demanded product—used in many Cuban households with gas stoves—had been halted. In numerous Cuban homes without electric stoves (which are also affected by power outages), the limited food available to the population had begun to be cooked with wood or charcoal.

At the end of May, authorities in Santiago de Cuba announced the sale of charcoal to the population as an "alternative to the electro-energy deficit and the fuel situation" in the country.

In its Friday notice, CUPET offered "apologies for the inconvenience caused" but did not detail the extent of these issues. They also did not provide information on how many Cuban households were awaiting the sale of liquefied gas or the duration of the fuel shortage. Despite this lack of transparency, the socialist state-owned company committed to "keeping the population informed about the daily distribution program and other matters of interest through the Telegram channels of each territory."

In mid-May, the CUPET company in Matanzas informed its customers that there was no liquefied gas available for sale to the population.

In a brief note published on the Facebook profile of the provincial government of People's Power in Matanzas, residents were officially informed of the fuel shortage, although it appeared that the scarcity had been experienced prior to the notification. Many residents responded indignantly to the official statement.

"We already know that. I was supposed to get gas on the 6th, and who knows when it will be sold to me. There's no electricity to cook food for children, the elderly, and families in general. What are we supposed to cook with? There's not even wood available. When will we get some encouraging news for this suffering population?" said one Matanzas resident.

At the beginning of 2024, the Cuban regime increased the price of liquefied gas by 20 percent. Customers who previously paid 180 CUP for a cylinder began paying 225 Cuban pesos for 20 pounds of liquefied gas starting March 1.

Before the implementation of the "economic restructuring" in Cuba in January 2021, CUPET announced an increase in the price of liquefied gas from 110 to 213 pesos. However, in March 2021, the so-called "reform czar," Marino Murillo Jorge, admitted that public discontent with the measure forced Miguel Díaz-Canel's government to revise the price to 180 Cuban pesos per cylinder.

Without salary increases, with rampant inflation, and with the Cuban currency significantly devalued compared to three years ago, the same government has now decided to raise the price of liquefied gas again. This time, it is set at 225 Cuban pesos, not the 213 CUP initially calculated in 2021.

"Liquefied gas is another product with a price hike," acknowledged Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy on the Mesa Redonda program. "This is a very efficient method of cooking that saves electricity, but LPG [liquefied petroleum gas] in Cuba is entirely imported."

According to the minister, liquefied gas had been a subsidized energy source in Cuba. The 20% price increase (45 CUP) aimed to "correct a distortion," essentially eliminating an undue subsidy that the State can no longer maintain due to the financial difficulties caused by the "blockade."