Cubans turn to cooking with charcoal as energy crisis worsens

FILE PHOTO: A man walks on a street during a blackout following the failure of a major power plant, in Havana, Cuba February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Norlys Perez/File Photo

SAN NICOLAS DE BARI (Reuters) - For Maria Elena Veiga, a 60-year-old Cuban housewife living on the outskirts of Havana, charcoal has become the go-to fuel for cooking due to frequent blackouts from the island's failing power grid.

"We have opted to cook with charcoal, which is what we can do, because otherwise we are going to go through a lot of work to be able to eat," said Veiga, who lives in San Nicolas de Bari, about 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the capital.