Venezuela's Electric System |
You have probably heard about the devastating blackouts (so far more than 3) in March 2019. The first one happened on March 7, 2019 and plunged almost all of the country’s 23 states into darkness for five days in a row. Food was rotten, hospitals collapsed and many died (they are still being accounted for). Also, the situation led to disastrous looting episodes in cities far from the capital, such as Maracaibo. This type of failure is not new, according to Associated Press. Even when the definitive cause of the blackout has not been determined - some speculate it was sparked by a fire, most experts agree on the fact that it is the result of a long-time crisis. The second country-wide blackout, also referred to as “apagón,” happened on March 22, 2019 and lasted up to four days in some major cities, such as Maracaibo. The third one occurred on March 25, 2019. It lasted three days and affected between 14 and 16 of Venezuela’s 23 states. The most recent blackout was on March 30 and lasted 24 hours in several states. On March 31, 2019 Maduro announced a 30-day power rationing. As of April 2, 2019, states like Zulia and Táchira are out of electricity since March 25, 2019.
Electricity in Venezuela is a monopoly. It’s entirely managed by government-run corporation Corpoelec, nationalized in 2007. Almost 80 percent of Venezuela’s power is produced at the Hydropower Guri Dam, inaugurated in 1974 and located in Bolívar state (southern Venezuela).
Electricity in Venezuela is a monopoly. It’s entirely managed by government-run corporation Corpoelec, nationalized in 2007. Almost 80 percent of Venezuela’s power is produced at the Hydropower Guri Dam, inaugurated in 1974 and located in Bolívar state (southern Venezuela).
|
Guri Dam (Source: Edeguri)
|
Electricity shortages in some sectors of the country started in 2009. Power rationing was announced by then-President Hugo Chávez, and early in 2010 Chávez declared an “electricity emergency” in Venezuela. Such incidents repeated many times in the following years, becoming a daily reality for most of the nation, as Caracas Chronicles explains. The first massive blackout happened in October 2018, and affected at least 16 states and Caracas simultaneously. The then-government never gave a concrete answer as to what caused the failures.
Currently, the Maduro regime claims that the massive apagón (country-wide blackout) on March 7, 2019 was a result of “a cyber attack” perpetrated by the opposition and the U.S. government. However, no proof has been offered (a member of the pro-government National Constituent Assembly assures the U.S. got inspired by the technology shown in Bruce Willis’ Die Hard). As of March 13, 2019, days after Maduro assured they had resolved the so called sabotage and stated that “victory of recovering the electric system was in our hands,” many states, including Zulia and Táchira, were facing over 8-hour power shortages.
Minister of Agriculture Wilmar Castro Soteldo still encourages people to learn how to make “canned food” out of meats and fruits because it can be preserved without electricity.
Currently, the Maduro regime claims that the massive apagón (country-wide blackout) on March 7, 2019 was a result of “a cyber attack” perpetrated by the opposition and the U.S. government. However, no proof has been offered (a member of the pro-government National Constituent Assembly assures the U.S. got inspired by the technology shown in Bruce Willis’ Die Hard). As of March 13, 2019, days after Maduro assured they had resolved the so called sabotage and stated that “victory of recovering the electric system was in our hands,” many states, including Zulia and Táchira, were facing over 8-hour power shortages.
Minister of Agriculture Wilmar Castro Soteldo still encourages people to learn how to make “canned food” out of meats and fruits because it can be preserved without electricity.
Overdue Investment and Lack of Specialized Labor
|
Guri Dam (Source: MetLink)
|
For several years, late President Hugo Chávez and Maduro claimed that they were going to fix the issue by investing billions of dollars in infrastructure to strengthen Venezuela’s electric system.
Chávez once promised he would invest 21 billion dollars to generate 15,000 MW in order to improve the system and guarantee uninterrupted power service, as he had done previously in 2008 with the announcement of a $513 million investment. Most of those projects were never carried out, as noted by AP.
Venezuela is considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking 168 out of 180 in the Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Index. Although the money for the projects was allocated, sources state it ended up in the pockets of pro-government officials, also known as enchufados, as demonstrated by the Derwick Associates scam.
Chávez once promised he would invest 21 billion dollars to generate 15,000 MW in order to improve the system and guarantee uninterrupted power service, as he had done previously in 2008 with the announcement of a $513 million investment. Most of those projects were never carried out, as noted by AP.
Venezuela is considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking 168 out of 180 in the Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Index. Although the money for the projects was allocated, sources state it ended up in the pockets of pro-government officials, also known as enchufados, as demonstrated by the Derwick Associates scam.
(Please enable closed captioning for translation)
(Please enable closed captioning for translation)
(Please enable closed captioning for translation)
The situation has also worsened due to the thousands of engineers and other skilled workers that have abandoned the field. The lack of economic opportunities in the country, terrible wages, and pressure and intimidation from the Maduro administration led to an under qualified labor force in the area, according to Caracas Chronicles. Some have been politically persecuted for denouncing the current status of the Guri Dam. For instance, Corpoelec worker Geovany Zambrano a was detained by the SEBIN (government’s intelligence police) for speaking out against the deteriorating conditions.
The Consensual Thesis
Experts dispute the regime’s version about a “cyber attack” and agree on a different explanation, instead. The failure of the electrical grid has three main roots: mismanagement, brain drain, and corruption, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Days after the second blackout, AP reported: “Engineers have warned for years that Venezuela’s State-run electricity corporation was failing to properly maintain power lines, letting brush that can catch fire during Venezuela’s hot, dry months to grow near and up the towering structures.” This kind of warning is anything but new. Back in 2016, Vox wrote “Since 2000, the country has failed to add enough electric capacity to satisfy soaring demand, making it incredibly vulnerable to disruptions at its existing dams.” Experts also believe that Venezuela produces even less electricity than it did 20 years ago, due to poor maintenance.
Days after the second blackout, AP reported: “Engineers have warned for years that Venezuela’s State-run electricity corporation was failing to properly maintain power lines, letting brush that can catch fire during Venezuela’s hot, dry months to grow near and up the towering structures.” This kind of warning is anything but new. Back in 2016, Vox wrote “Since 2000, the country has failed to add enough electric capacity to satisfy soaring demand, making it incredibly vulnerable to disruptions at its existing dams.” Experts also believe that Venezuela produces even less electricity than it did 20 years ago, due to poor maintenance.
|
Even ‘dissident chavistas’ such as Rafael Ramírez, former Minister of Energy of Venezuela (2002–2014), agrees. Ramírez, who was also Director of State-run oil company PDVSA, tweeted in Spanish: “Guri has collapsed due to lack of maintenance, just like the thermoelectrics, and the lines of transmission and distribution. The government’s incompetence and negligence has dragged us into this total collapse. Just like it happened within PDVSA. The interests of a group prevailed over those of the country. Incompetents!”
|
|
Those who are familiar with the Guri’s system affirm that it’s “almost impossible” for a cyber attack to be the cause of the failure, reports Associated Press. Experts with deep knowledge of the hydroplant’s functioning explained to AP: “Computers that operate the monitoring system are not connected to the internet and can only communicate with each other, making them immune to an outside attack.” According to them, the only way to possibly execute such scheme would be to physically access the substation where the system is located, and even then it is very unlikely. These areas are inaccessible because they are under the control of and guarded by the Venezuelan Armed Forces.
It is true that, historically, there have been incidents where injerence has caused a loss of power—as shown in the NYT 1973’s report about a US-Backed Blackout Interrupting an Address by Chile’s Allende. However, in Venezuela’s case there’s evidence enough that supports negligence and lack of maintenance as the causes of the electrical collapse that keeps Venezuelans in the dark and suffering.
In April 2019, Maduro announced power rationing due to the crisis. Each user would have to endure a four hour suspension of power daily for approximately 40 days. However, several states continue to face power cuts that range from six to 18 hours every day. No plans or investments in the electrical system have been announced to date.
