The New York Times published an extensive report this Monday based on a visit from its correspondents to Havana, with a conclusion that summarizes 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 solutions improvised by the citizens themselves.
The journalist Jack Nicas traveled to Cuba with videographer Alex Pena. They spent a week in Havana to produce a report on the energy crisis, illustrated with photographs by Lisette Poole González.
What the NYT found on the streets of Havana
The report highlights how the streets of the Cuban capital are dominated by electric tricycles and Chinese-manufactured scooters, many of which are equipped with solar panels installed on their roofs to recharge independently of the grid.
Beyond transportation, they describe an adaptation ecosystem that includes lithium batteries to keep televisions and fans running during power outages, handmade generators powered by natural gas, and solar panels installed on the rooftops 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 buildup of pressure on the Cuban energy system, which has gone without maintenance for decades.
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, either directly or indirectly.
In June 2026, the administration directly sanctioned CUPET, the Cuban state oil company, and explicitly excluded Cuba from a general license that authorized the trade of Iranian oil.
Cuba no longer has energy support from Venezuela or Mexico. The result has been devastating, with blackouts lasting more than 20 hours a day and at least five total failures 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 energy storage battery system in the country in El Cotorro, Havana.
However, the conclusion of the NYT is not one of recovery, but of resilience. The government of Cuba has not resolved anything. The population of the island survives thanks to their own ingenuity, not to the solutions provided by the state.
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