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A Turkish floating power plant, Belgin Sultan, has reconnected parts of Cuba to electricity as the island struggles with deepening outages driven by fuel shortages, as U.S. sanctions block the country from receiving oil shipments.
The vessel, operated by Turkish energy conglomerate Karpowership, reached Havana Port and began generating power shortly after docking, using its plug-and-play system to quickly feed electricity into the grid, the Turkish media reported.
Belgin Sultan, with a capacity ranging from 15 MW to 76 MW, joins two other Turkish ships, Suheyla Sultan and Erol Bey, already operating in Havana. Together, they support electricity generation across several regions, helping restore supply after repeated disruptions.
In a statement, the Turkish company stressed that the development should not be seen as a new investment or expansion, but rather a continuation of an ongoing operation.
"With fuel supply restored, existing ships have been brought back online," it said. "The ongoing work is characterized as both humanitarian and infrastructural support."
Turkish power ships have been active in Cuba since 2019, forming a key part of the country’s emergency energy response. Energy production by Karpowership had faltered in recent months due to fuel supply constraints, which forced some facilities offline.
The company had also scaled back operations at times due to payment issues, maintaining limited output with fewer assets and a land-based plant. A Russian tanker delivered 100,000 tons of crude oil to Cuba on March 30, helping restart stalled facilities and allowing power generation to resume after a period of inactivity.
Cuba’s power plants, averaging more than 40 years in service and operating at around 34% efficiency, remain under strain from years of underinvestment. As of 2026, Turkish power ships account for roughly 25% of the island’s electricity supply.
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