Cuba's power grid collapses and plunges eastern provinces into a major blackout

The Americas Cuba's power grid collapses and plunges eastern provinces into a major blackout May 14, 20264:30 PM ET By  The Associated Press People look at a barricade set up by residents protesting against prolonged power outages in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday. Ramon Espinosa/AP hide caption toggle caption Ramon Espinosa/AP HAVANA — Cuba's national energy grid suffered a major failure early Thursday that severed power to the island's eastern provinces, authorities said, as residents in the capital Havana faced ongoing blackouts. Cuba's aging power grid has eroded in recent years as it faces a prolonged economic crisis, recently made worse by a U.S. energy blockade of the island, where daily life can be an ordeal for many of the country's 10 million people. The state-run Electric Union said the collapse had stripped power from all eastern provinces from Guantánamo to Ciego de Ávila, and that crews were working to restore power, but it did not give an estimate for how long it would take. Sponsor Message The previous day, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel had described the energy situation as "tense" after supplies of oil delivered by a Russian vessel in late March ran out. Cuba produces barely 40% of the fuel it needs to power its economy. Russia announced plans to send a second fuel ship to Cuba in early April. According to Russian news reports, the oil tanker left the Russian Baltic port of Vysotsk in January, but has been stuck in the same place in the Atlantic Ocean for the last several weeks. Power outages in Havana, where authorities have been rationing power, stretched to 24 consecutive hours on Thursday. On Wednesday evening, Associated Press journalists saw residents in numerous neighborhoods banging pots and pans and setting fire to trash cans to protest the blackouts. Hours later, Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy appeared on Cuban television to describe the energy situation as "critical." Cuba's power grid is crumbling, but the government al...