At the service station on Boyeros and Santa Catalina, the business is no longer filling tanks but supplying cooking stoves
14ymedio, Natalia López Moya, Havana, April 14, 2026 / At the intersection of Rancho Boyeros and Santa Catalina Avenues in Havana, where for decades the smell of gasoline dictated the rhythm of city traffic, now another aroma dominates, more rustic and persistent: that of charcoal. This Tuesday, the service station was deserted, with no cars in line and no attendants pumping fuel. The pumps remained motionless, like museum pieces, while on one side of the building, the one facing Rancho Boyeros Avenue, the real business of the day was taking place: the sale of sacks of charcoal at 1,700 pesos each.
The scene is a true portrait of the crisis. The site, designed to fuel engines, has become a supplier of charcoal. Where once the metallic click of hoses being inserted into tanks was heard, now the rough scraping of sacks as they are dragged along the ground echoes. A man carries one over his shoulder with the ease of someone transporting an essential item. It’s easy to understand: in a city where blackouts last for hours, charcoal has gone from being an emergency resource to an everyday commodity.
The gas station, empty of both fuel and customers, seems to have adapted to the new times with pragmatism. The supply of gasoline and diesel is sporadic, subject to uncertain logistics that force drivers to join long virtual queues and pay in foreign currency for each liter. Many no longer even try to get fuel; they’ve left their cars parked indefinitely or use them only on exceptional occasions. Meanwhile, the need to cook cannot wait, and the electric stove becomes a useless ornament when the power goes out. That’s where charcoal comes in, transformed into a domestic lifeline.
From the sidewalk, the transformation of the gas station seems almost symbolic. The structure remains intact: high ceilings, aligned pumps, and the yellow and red paint on the walls, visible from afar. But the star product no longer flows through pipes; instead, it’s sold in black sacks stacked against a wall. Less fossil fuel to power vehicles and more solid fuels to sustain daily life.
A woman approaches, asks the price, and after a quick mental calculation, pays the 1,700 pesos without haggling. In other parts of Havana, it already costs 2,500. “This will last me for several days,” she remarks, before placing the sack on an electric tricycle. Her gesture reveals the resignation with which many Havana residents have incorporated charcoal into their daily routine. Because cooking with firewood, a practice that seemed relegated to rural areas or bygone eras, has once again taken root on balconies and rooftops throughout the city.
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