The New York Times published an extensive report on Monday based on a visit from its correspondents to Havana, concluding with a summary of the Cuban paradox: "Without oil, Cuba manages to survive."
The New York newspaper does not describe a society that has overcome its crisis, but rather one that has learned to function—albeit precariously—on the margins of the electrical grid and conventional fuel, thanks to improvised solutions by the citizens themselves.
The journalist Jack Nicas traveled to Cuba with video journalist Alex Pena. They spent a week in Havana to create a report on the energy crisis, illustrated with photographs by Lisette Poole González.
What the NYT found in the streets of Havana
The report documents how the streets of the Cuban capital are dominated by electric tricycles and Chinese-made scooters, many of which are equipped with solar panels installed on the roofs to recharge without relying on the grid.
Beyond transportation, they describe an adaptation ecosystem that includes lithium batteries to keep televisions and fans running during power outages, artisanal generators that operate on natural gas, and solar panels installed on the roofs of private homes.
They present this set of solutions as a citizen energy infrastructure that allows Cuban society to sustain itself when the State cannot guarantee electricity or fuel.
An unprecedented energy crisis
The picture that the correspondents found is the result of a series of blows to the Cuban energy system, which has gone decades without maintenance.
On January 29, 2026, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14380, which declared a national emergency regarding Cuba and established secondary tariffs against any country or entity that supplied oil to the island, directly or indirectly.
In June 2026, the administration sanctioned CUPET, the Cuban state oil company, and specifically excluded Cuba from a general license that permitted the trade of Iranian oil.
Cuba no longer has energy support from Venezuela or Mexico. The result has been devastating, with blackouts lasting over 20 hours a day and at least five total collapses of the National Electric System so far in 2026.
The regime has responded with measures such as the establishment of community solar centers in provinces like Guantánamo and the testing of the first battery energy storage system in the country in El Cotorro, Havana.
However, the conclusion of the NYT is not one of recovery, but of resilience. The Cuban government has not resolved anything. The island's population survives thanks to their own ingenuity, not the solutions provided by the state.
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