Cooking in the Dark: How Blackouts Force Cubans to Use Charcoal

In the outskirts of Havana, Maria Elena Veiga lights a charcoal fire to cook dinner. She has no choice—blackouts have become a daily struggle, and gas is scarce. Across Cuba, millions are adjusting to life without reliable electricity.

Power outages in Cuba are no longer just an inconvenience—they define daily life. In towns far from the capital, electricity cuts stretch for over 20 hours, leaving residents to find alternatives just to cook a meal.

"We have opted to cook with charcoal," says Veiga, a 60-year-old housewife from San Nicolás de Bari, about 60 km from Havana. "Otherwise, we go through a lot of trouble just to eat."

The country's power grid is crumbling. Aging thermoelectric plants are failing, fuel shortages are widespread, and diesel generators meant to support the system are running dry. At the end of last year, a series of collapses left the entire nation of 10 million in darkness.

"The electricity is very bad. Sometimes we go the whole day without power," says 72-year-old Mirella Martínez, stirring a pot of beans over a charcoal stove.

The crisis has forced the government to take drastic steps—schools have closed for two days, and non-essential workers are being urged to stay home to cut energy use.

Officials blame the U.S. trade embargo, arguing that sanctions make it harder to import fuel and spare parts for the island’s outdated power plants. But for many Cubans, explanations offer little comfort. They just want to turn the lights back on.

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