Category Archives: Electric Crisis

Not the brightest bulb

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Electricity Minister Jesse Chacón said today that the government would raise electricity rates so that people who use too much electricity begin to pay more. This is a terrible idea. On the surface, Chacón’s idea would seem to make sense. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis | 82 Comments

CORPOELEC: Once the solution, now the problem

Posted on May 6, 2013 by

New Electricity Minister Jesse Chacón has tried to differentiate himself from his predecessors during his first days at the job. He even pledged to quit if his new plan to fix the ongoing electricity crisis doesn’t work. But he also … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, In Other News, The Economy | 26 Comments

Double dose of crazy

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

As many of you, I watched Nicolás Maduro’s speech last night in awe. Not only was it a rambling, incoherent mess; it also made clear what everyone seems to be catching on to – that Maduro is insane. For me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, infrastructure, Nicolas Maduro | 26 Comments

The electrical war, cont. (Updated)

Posted on April 9, 2013 by

Since the official annoucement of the “electrical war” last Thursday by Acting-(Like-a)-President Nicolás Maduro, things didn’t improve this weekend – to the point that some parts of Acarigua were in the dark last Sunday night when Mr. Maduro was in … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, Nicolas Maduro, The Economy | 12 Comments

The electrical war

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

In a campaign rally in Cojedes today, Acting-(Like-a)-President Nicolás Maduro announced the creation of a brand new mission for the electricity sector, focus to fight what he calls an upcoming “electrical war”. To show strong leadership, he ordered a nationwide military deployment … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, Nicolas Maduro, Politics | 25 Comments

El sabotaje va por dentro

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

The rolling power blackouts that have spread around the country have gotten worse in recent days, to the point that even weekends are no longer safe. In my neighborhood in Barquisimeto, blackouts had been hitting us twice a week on … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, Nicolas Maduro, Politics, The Economy | 4 Comments

The electricity crisis is escalating quickly

Posted on February 20, 2013 by

Failures in the national transmission system produced two major blackouts in the Western part of the country last week: one on Wednesday and another one last Saturday. The electric crisis has worsened in recent weeks, to the dismay of an … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, In Other News, The Economy | 18 Comments

The cost of Cuban “expertise”

Posted on January 17, 2013 by

As the ongoing electric crisis continues, this blog reported last September how Cuba was helping the national electric company CORPOELEC handle the numerous problems of our power grid system. Today, an article in the Valencia newspaper Notitarde gives us an … Continue reading →

Posted in Cuba, Electric Crisis, The Economy | 44 Comments

Are blackouts coming to Caracas?

Posted on January 15, 2013 by

For years, the Venezuelan capital was kept at bay of electrical blackouts by orders of the comandante presidente himself. In recent months, failures in the service have increased in Caracas and last Sunday, several parts of the city were left … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, In Other News | 20 Comments

Balloons are the new possums

Posted on December 27, 2012 by

Parts of Barquisimeto and Cabudare were forced to pass Christmas Eve in the dark thanks to electric blackouts. This time though, the blame didn’t fall on an animal but on an object: the sky lantern. In a written statement, CORPOELEC … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, In Other News, Venezuelan Culture | 7 Comments

The “S” word now stands for scam

Posted on November 16, 2012 by

This week, Electricity Minister Hector Navarro opened an investigation into irregular charging of customers by third parties inside the public electric company (and monopoly) CORPOELEC. Was this decision the result of competent work in the ministry under his watch, following … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, In Other News | 4 Comments

The electricity crisis will end… in 20 years

Posted on November 3, 2012 by

There was another big electric failure in Lara and Yaracuy this week. No wild animal has been charged for the crime so far. As the electricity crisis continues all around Venezuela, there could be an end in sight… in the year … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, The Economy | 91 Comments

Chavismo now kinda hearts blackouts

Posted on October 1, 2012 by

The Chavernment has tried everything to spin the years-long problem of power outages around the country, from blaming the weather to denounce them as sabotage, and even pointing to animals as the culprits. But less than a week away from … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis, Politics, The Economy | 10 Comments

Money for nothing and your lights for free

Posted on September 18, 2012 by

There really should be a word for it: the systematic mismatch between the things that cause outrage in our public sphere and the ones that cripple our society’s capacity to offer folks a decent life. Kleptodysplasia, maybe? That’s what was … Continue reading →

Posted in Chavismo, Conditional Cash Transfers, Corruption, Electric Crisis, infrastructure, Venezuelan Culture | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Lights out on the Chávez era

Posted on September 11, 2012 by

On the heels of a massive blackout that left Havana, one of Cubazuela’s largest cities, without electricity, I went on Twitter to see what the electricity situation in Venezuela was. In just the last day, there are reported blackouts in: … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Crisis | 29 Comments