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Vicente de la O Levy
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Vicente de la O Levy

Cuba's Energy Minister; personally sanctioned under EO 14404; ministry oversees CUPET, now also designated.

Cuba's national grid collapsed twice more in the week of 10-16 July, and Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy's ministry forecast a 2,240 MW deficit against just 990 MW available for 16 July.

Last refreshed: 17 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

What happens to Cuba's oil supply when both the Energy Minister and CUPET are sanctioned?

Timeline for Vicente de la O Levy

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Background

Vicente de la O Levy is Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines, responsible for the island's electricity generation, petroleum sector and renewable-energy development. He oversees both UNE, the state grid operator, and CUPET, the state petroleum company, giving him direct ministerial control over the two systems whose failure has defined Cuba's 2026 crisis.

In a political system that normally keeps ministers out of the public eye, De la O Levy has become one of its most recognisable faces, delivering the government's periodic admissions about fuel shortages and blackout forecasts on state media such as Mesa Redonda. His April 2026 announcement that a refinery restart had cut the grid deficit from 1,732 MW to 1,395 MW became, briefly, the government's primary public measure of progress before the improvement reversed.

Washington treats him as directly accountable for the ministry's policy choices: his personal sanctions designation sits alongside, not instead of, sanctions on the institutions he runs.

Key Issues
Energy crisis

The minister oversees a collapsing grid

De la O Levy has become the public face of Cuba's energy emergency, disclosing on 13 May that Venezuelan crude had been cut since November 2025, four months earlier than Havana had previously admitted, and putting domestic production at 40,000 barrels a day against demand of 90,000 to 110,000. Five days later he was personally designated under Executive Order 14404 alongside ten other officials and three institutions; on 11 June the sanctions reached CUPET itself, the state oil company his ministry controls, completing a chain from minister to company.

The grid he oversees kept failing into July. A transmission-line fault between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus collapsed the whole national system on 10 July, and a second collapse followed on 14 July when a thermal unit tripped; his ministry's 16 July bulletin forecast a 2,240 MW deficit against only 990 MW available.

Common Questions
How bad was Cuba's electricity deficit in mid-July 2026?
UNE's 16 July 2026 bulletin, published under Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy, reported a 2,126 MW peak deficit on 15 July, forecast 2,240 MW for 16 July, and only 990 MW available against 3,200 MW of maximum demand, after two more total grid collapses on 10 and 14 July.Source: UNE bulletin, 16 Jul 2026
How bad is Cuba's electricity deficit in 2026?
In late May 2026 UNE forecast a deficit of approximately 1,960 MW against demand of about 3,200 MW, the worst figure in the current cycle, after a Sovcomflot tanker turned away without delivering 270,000 barrels of diesel.Source: Cuba Dispatch Update 5
When did Venezuela stop supplying oil to Cuba?
Energy Minister De la O Levy confirmed on 13 May 2026 that Venezuelan crude supply has been interrupted since November 2025, and that Cuba produces only 40,000 Barrels Per Day against demand of 90,000 to 110,000 barrels.Source: Cuba Dispatch Update 4
What did Cuba's energy minister say about the power grid in April 2026?
Vicente de la O Levy announced that the restart of the Cienfuegos refinery on Russian crude had cut Cuba's grid deficit from 1,732 MW to 1,395 MW, providing partial relief to the ongoing blackout crisis.Source: event
What is CUPET and why is it now sanctioned?
CUPET (Unión Cuba-Petróleo) is Cuba's state oil company managing domestic production of around 40,000 Barrels Per Day and handling all import licensing. OFAC designated CUPET on 11 June 2026 under EO 14404, sanctioning the entity that controls every Cuban oil import port, customs gate, and licence, closing the private-buyer loophole earlier Venezuela licences had created.Source: cuba-dispatch U7
Why did Venezuela stop sending oil to Cuba?
Venezuela's crude supply to Cuba was interrupted from November 2025 according to Energy Minister De la O Levy's public admission on 13 May 2026, months before the March 2026 OFAC PDVSA authorisation included a carve-out blocking GAESA from Venezuelan crude. The causes include both US sanctions architecture and Venezuela's own production constraints.Source: cuba-dispatch U4
Who is Cuba's Energy Minister and why has he been sanctioned?
Vicente de la O Levy is Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines. He was designated by OFAC on 18 May 2026 under Executive Order 14404 as part of a wave targeting Cuban officials responsible for the energy sector and state repression apparatus.Source: cuba-dispatch U5
Why was Cuba's Energy Minister sanctioned by the US?
Vicente de la O Levy was personally designated under Executive Order 14404 on 18 May 2026 as part of the second wave of US sanctions targeting Cuban officials and institutions including the Interior Ministry and the Directorate of Intelligence.Source: Cuba Dispatch Update 5
Who is Vicente de la O Levy?
He is Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines, overseeing the National Grid (UNE) and state petroleum company (CUPET). He has been the government's main public voice on the energy crisis, confirming fuel shortfalls and deficit figures.Source: Cuba Dispatch
Who is Cuba's Energy Minister in 2026?
Vicente de la O Levy is Cuba's Minister of Energy and Mines. He oversees UNE and CUPET and is the government's main spokesperson on the island's electricity crisis.Source: event
Source Material
Treasury EO 14404 Cuba DesignationsCuba energy minister and the 2026 electricity crisis