Venezuela's Power Outages Linked to Earthquakes and El Niño, Says Diosdado Cabello

Diosdado Cabello, secretary-general of Venezuela's ruling PSUV party, asserted that the nation's widespread electricity outages are a consequence of the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes on June 24, compounded by the El Niño climate phenomenon.

During a weekly party press conference, Cabello challenged the denial of the earthquakes' impact on the National Electric System (SEN). He specifically pointed to infrastructure damage in the central region of the country, which resulted in a loss of 600 megawatts. "How do you recover 600 megawatts? Why, did you stop to think? No, no, you have to do the work," he stated.

Cabello, who also serves as interior minister, assured that the state-owned eléctrica Corpoelec is actively working to enhance the electrical system. He highlighted agreements made with other companies and the government's dedicated efforts to address the issue. Venezuela has grappled with electrical supply failures for years, with the government often blaming foreign sanctions, while critics cite corruption and a lack of maintenance.

Recent measures include acting president Delcy Rodríguez's August 2 call for energy and water conservation due to an intense El Niño episode, and her announcement of a plan to add 4,800 megawatts to the system by year-end. Rodríguez also appointed Juan Crisóstomo Fernández as the new president of Corpoelec on August 10 to bolster the team tasked with revitalizing the electrical grid.