Cuban Energy Crisis Forces Residents to Use Charcoal and Wood

The ongoing U.S. oil blockade has severely impacted Cuba, leaving millions without access to cooking gas. Santiago de Cuba, known as a significant site in the Cuban Revolution, has felt the effects acutely. Inhabitants of large apartment towers there have turned to more primitive methods, using charcoal and firewood to prepare meals.

In May 2026, journalists Ed Augustin and Lisette Poole traveled to Santiago de Cuba to report on the island’s worsening energy crisis. They documented the stark conditions residents face daily.

On one night, Yusimi Castellano, a 58-year-old resident of an 18-story apartment building, demonstrated how her daily cooking routine has changed. She assembled charcoal on her iron stove, using Styrofoam and plastic as kindling, and ignited it with a cigarette lighter. The small fire released thick smoke throughout her apartment, located on the 18th floor. The fumes wafted toward the former military barracks and the surrounding green mountains, emphasizing the severe contrast between past promises of the revolution and current harsh realities.

Despite having asthma and experiencing frequent breathlessness, Ms. Castellano feels she has no choice but to cook this way to feed her family. Her remarks reflect a wider issue faced by all residents in her apartment complex. Built to symbolize the revolutionary spirit 40 years ago, these buildings now house people struggling to secure essential cooking fuels.

As the crisis deepens, some residents can’t even purchase charcoal, compelling them to chop firewood instead to sustain their families.