Cuba Suffers Nationwide Blackout as Fuel and Economic Crises Worsen; China Launches Comprehensive Hydrogen Energy Application Pilot
（2026/03/16—2026/03/22）
Author：Hao-Wang
International Energy News
1. Cuba Suffers Nationwide Blackout as Fuel and Economic Crises Worsen
Recently, Cuba's national power system completely collapsed, leaving approximately 10 million people in the dark. This is the country's fifth nationwide grid paralysis in less than a year. Power restoration is currently slow, with only a small number of residents and hospitals having regained electricity, and a full recovery will still take time.
The outbreak of this crisis is the result of multiple overlapping factors. First, the long-term interruption of external oil supplies has led to an extreme shortage of power generation fuel. Second, the infrastructure is severely aging; the country's main thermal power plants were mostly built in the 1980s and 1990s. They are not only operating beyond their service life but also frequently break down due to long-term reliance on highly corrosive, low-quality domestic heavy oil. Furthermore, historical underinvestment in energy infrastructure has exacerbated the fragility of the power grid.
To cope with the crisis, Cuba is accelerating its energy transition, significantly increasing the import of solar equipment and planning to build numerous photovoltaic power plants. However, constrained by the dual bottlenecks of lacking energy storage facilities and funding shortages, completely resolving the power shortage in the short term remains a massive challenge.
2.China and India Simultaneously Reduce Coal-Fired Power Generation for the First Time in Nearly Half a Century
In 2025, coal-fired power generation in China and India—the world's top two coal consumers—declined simultaneously for the first time in nearly 50 years. Data shows that in 2025, China's photovoltaic power generation surged by 43% year-on-year, and wind power grew by 13%. India's renewable energy also maintained strong growth.
The combined coal consumption of the two countries accounts for more than 60% of the global total. This simultaneous decline injects crucial confidence into the global goal of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5°C. At the same time, influenced by major coal-producing countries proactively cutting capacity, supply-side contraction has outpaced the demand side, causing international coal prices to climb counter-cyclically to a one-year high.
This historic turning point marks an acceleration in the global energy transition. Under competition from clean energy sources like wind and solar, coal is gradually transitioning from a baseload energy source to a peaking backup power source. In the future, coal will increasingly shoulder auxiliary services for the power system or pivot toward non-combustion utilization pathways such as modern coal chemistry.
3. Indonesia Weighs Multiple Measures to Cope with Surging Oil Prices
Recently, impacted by soaring international oil prices, the Indonesian government is re-evaluating its energy subsidies and high-cost meal programs. To boost its economic growth rate from 5.1% last year to 8% by 2029, the country faces difficult choices in offsetting the shock of oil prices.
Currently, Indonesia's fuel and natural gas supplies are only sufficient to maintain about three weeks of maximum storage capacity. To respond to the crisis and free up fiscal space, the government faces three main options: (1) Cut fuel subsidies, which currently cover 30% to 40% of consumer costs and account for about 15% of the total budget. (2) Scale back the free meal program, which consumes nearly one-tenth of the annual budget. If restricted to the most needy areas, the government could save up to 100 trillion Indonesian Rupiah (approximately 5.9 billion USD). (3) Breach the deficit ceiling, exceeding the legally mandated fiscal deficit limit of 3% of GDP.
Relevant analyses indicate that in the absence of new suppliers to fill the supply gap, adjusting subsidies or cutting expenditures may become the inevitable path for Indonesia to cope with its current critical situation.
Domestic Energy News
1. China Launches Comprehensive Hydrogen Energy Application Pilot
Recently, three departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, jointly issued a notice to deploy pilot programs for the comprehensive application of hydrogen energy. Through an open competition mechanism, the pilot will select city clusters with foundational advantages to propel China's hydrogen industry from its initial breakthrough phase across the technical and economic inflection point, moving toward rapid, large-scale development.
The notice outlines core development targets: By 2030, the pilot city clusters aim to achieve large-scale application of hydrogen energy across multiple sectors. The average terminal price of hydrogen is targeted to drop below 25 yuan per kilogram, striving for around 15 yuan in certain advantageous regions. Furthermore, the national fleet of fuel cell vehicles is expected to double from 2025 levels, striving to reach 100,000 units.
In terms of specific scenarios, the pilot will build a "1+N+X" comprehensive ecosystem. This includes one general scenario focused on fuel cell vehicles (primarily medium- and heavy-duty, as well as medium-to-long-haul heavy trucks); multiple (N) large-scale industrial application scenarios covering green ammonia and methanol, hydrogen-based chemical raw material substitution, and hydrogen metallurgy; and various (X) innovative application scenarios expanding into shipping, aviation, and rail transit. By scaling up the use of green electricity and hydrogen, these multi-scenario applications will drive cost reduction and efficiency gains across the entire industry chain.
2. Domestic Refined Oil Prices Expected to Rise Significantly, Comprehensively Entering the "9 Yuan Era"
Impacted by global energy market volatility, international oil prices are fluctuating at high levels. Brent crude oil broke through the 112 USD/barrel mark intraday, and domestic crude oil futures briefly surged to 823 yuan/barrel. Under the current pricing mechanism, domestic refined oil will undergo its sixth round of price adjustments this year at 24:00 on March 23.
Based on comprehensive institutional estimates as of March 19, the reference crude oil change rate ranges between 28.39% and 45.21%. Consequently, the retail prices for gasoline and diesel are expected to increase by 1,900 to 2,000 yuan/ton. If implemented at this rate, the price of domestic 92-octane gasoline will universally enter the "9 yuan era," meaning it will cost over 85 yuan more to fill a 50-liter gas tank.
Before the next price adjustment window (24:00 on April 7), terminal fuel costs will rise significantly. For a private car driving 2,000 kilometers a month with an average fuel consumption of 8 liters per 100 kilometers, the monthly fuel cost will increase by about 138 yuan. For a heavy truck driving 10,000 kilometers a month with a fuel consumption of 38 liters per 100 kilometers, the monthly fuel cost will sharply increase by approximately 3,553 yuan.
3. Six Departments Issue Guiding Opinions to Promote the Comprehensive Utilization of PV Modules
Recently, six departments jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Comprehensive Utilization of Photovoltaic Modules" to address the impending wave of retiring PV modules, implement the 2025–2027 action plan for green and low-carbon development, and ensure the realization of the phased goals for 2027 and 2030.
Focusing on the full life-cycle management of PV systems, the guidelines propose three core measures: (1) Building a green circular system by promoting easy-to-dismantle, eco-friendly designs at the source, standardizing retirement management and recycling channels in the middle stage, and driving the efficient regeneration and large-scale application of core resources like silicon, silver, copper, and aluminum at the end stage. (2) Strengthening technological and industrial synergy by targeting pain points like low dismantling efficiency, with a focus on breakthroughs in intelligent adaptive dismantling and high-efficiency separation and purification technologies. It also guides the localized deployment of production capacity in key installation regions such as Northwest, East, and North China, cultivating "zero-waste parks" and "zero-waste enterprises." (3) Improving the support and guarantee system by broadening financing channels through the national industry-finance cooperation platform, utilizing special funds to support advanced R&D for technical equipment, and consolidating the collaborative responsibilities of multiple departments and local governments.
Currently, key enterprises have actively responded to these guidelines and are advancing the construction of new energy solid waste disposal bases in locations like Zhangjiakou, Hebei, accelerating technology transformation and industrialization practices.
(Main news sources: CCTVNEWS APP, International Energy Network, China Energy Network, National Energy Administration, China Energy News)
