Areas of Venezuela’s capital Caracas and at least 15 states across the country suffered blackouts on Friday which authorities attributed to an attack on the electrical system.
By Reuters – Vivian Sequera and Mayela Armas
Dec 17, 2021
From 2 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. local time (6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. GMT) blackouts took place in Caracas and 15 of the country’s 23 states though power was largely restored by 11 a.m local time, Reuters journalists said.
Nestor Reverol, Vice President of Public Works and Services and Minister of Electrical Energy, said in a statement on state television: “There has been a new attack on the national electricity system, specifically in El Guri.”
El Guri is the site of a reservoir and dam in the south of the country which generates a large part of Venezuela’s electricity.
Reverol did not provide additional details though Vice President Delcy Rodriguez assured followers on Twitter that workers were doing all they could to restore service.
Venezuela suffered three national blackouts in 2019, some lasting as long as three days, which authorities also attributed to attacks on the system – such as damaging power lines – by saboteurs and opponents of President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
It was not clear if Venezuela’s oil industry had been affected by the power cuts. State-owned oil company PDVSA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The El Palito refinery and the Yagua filling station were able to run on backup power generators, sources told Reuters.
Venezuela’s electricity woes started in late 2009 following years of divestment and mismanagement, government critics and analysts say.
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