In the midst of Cuba's persistent power outages, a coal stove unexpectedly became a lifeline for a Cuban woman as she attempted to feed her family during another collapse of the National Electric System. On July 11, TikTok user @lilianne.calunga shared a 50-second video encapsulating the daily struggle faced by millions of Cubans: making do with whatever is available to perform the simple act of cooking.
"I had to light up a coal stove that I hadn’t planned on using, but when you have to, you have to," she narrates in the video. Using what she had on hand, she prepared white rice, utilized a can of stored tuna, and when she spotted some available malangas, decided to make fritters to complete the meal.
“They take a bit of effort, but they’re worth it; we love them here at home,” she comments on the traditional Cuban dish, which has long been associated with coal cooking and times of scarcity.
The Broader Impact of Power Failures
This video is not an isolated incident. It was recorded on the same day the western microsystem collapsed again, leaving only 12.6% of customers in Havana with power by noon. This marked the fourth complete blackout of 2026 within just four months.
In the days leading up to this, Cuba had experienced two total system failures in under a week. On July 6, the shutdown of Unit No. 6 at the Nuevitas thermoelectric plant left 9.6 million people without power. Four days later, a failure in the 220 kV transmission line between Santa Clara and Sancti Spíritus caused the fourth total blackout of the year, affecting approximately 10 million people and setting a historic generation deficit record: 2,341 MW, with only 935 MW available against a demand of 3,100 MW.
Adapting to the New Normal
The scene of cooking over a coal stove is being reenacted in countless Cuban homes. With electric cooking off the table, people are resorting to firewood, makeshift sawdust stoves crafted from metal cans, improvised burners, and parabolic solar cookers sold in Havana for $135. In areas like Matanzas and La Lisa, power cuts have been reported to last up to 87 consecutive hours.
This mass return to coal and wood harks back to the Special Period of the 1990s, when Cuba faced a similar crisis following the Soviet Union's collapse. In March 2026, Miguel Díaz-Canel himself mandated the "guaranteeing of cooking materials, from charcoal to firewood," implicitly acknowledging the country's regression. The regime had admitted in December 2025 that blackouts would continue throughout 2026 without offering concrete solutions.
Social Unrest on the Rise
As darkness prevails, social unrest grows. June saw a record 107 street protests, and in July, Cubans took to the streets with pot-banging demonstrations and chants of "Freedom!" and "Down with the dictatorship!" Prime Minister Manuel Marrero blamed the outages on the U.S. embargo, a statement met with widespread anger.
"This is the reality we are living in Cuba today: an entire country in darkness once again, families altering their routines and seeking alternatives to do something as basic as cooking, a situation that repeats over and over," concludes the video's protagonist.
Understanding Cuba's Energy Crisis
What is causing the frequent power outages in Cuba?
The frequent power outages are attributed to failures in the electrical grid, including breakdowns at power plants and issues with transmission lines. Additionally, the regime blames the U.S. embargo for exacerbating the situation.
How are Cuban families coping with the power outages?
Cuban families are turning to alternative cooking methods such as coal stoves, firewood, and makeshift burners. Some also utilize solar cookers to prepare meals during power shortages.