January 31

Govn't to implement power cuts among heavy consumers in Caracas
The Venezuelan government approved a "plan to reduce electricity consumption by heavy consumers located in the area served by the Venezuelan state-run utility Electricidad de Caracas (EDC), as an alternative measure to the electricity rationing plan," official news agency ABN reported.

According to a statement released by the office of the Venezuelan President, the plan "intends to expand the number of users who will be forced to cut power consumption by 20 percent. This will cause heavy consumers of electricity to take measures to save energy. The decision will not affect small businesses, residential areas or socially sensitive areas."

Meanwhile, President Hugo Chávez, during his weekly radio and TV show on January 31, said that the government would make a major effort to purchase new thermal power plants in Russia, China, Japan, and Germany.

Chávez: Blackouts at baseball park were sabotage
The Venezuelan President ordered Minister of the Interior and Justice Tarek El Aissami to monitor closely the security measures that have been taken in Margarita Island for the baseball Caribbean Series. Hugo Chávez said that "evidence shows that the two power blackouts occurred during the final series of Venezuelan baseball league were sabotage."

"We have no definite evidence, but all clues point to the fact that the two blackouts occurred in the ninth inning of the games that took place in the José Bernardo Pérez baseball park, in the city of Valencia, with a crowded stadium, were sabotage, particularly the power blackout occurred in the last game in Valencia (on January 29)," Chávez said.

The Venezuelan President recalled that his administration "will turn 11 years" on February 2. He announced several events to commemorate the anniversary, as well as the 18 years of the failed coup attempt he led on February 4, 1992.

Chávez also accused the Venezuelan oligarchy of supporting any "lie made up by Colombia." The Venezuelan president denied that Juan Gómez, a Sergeant of the Venezuelan National Guard, was arrested and expelled from Colombia because he was allegedly carrying out covert operations in Venezuela's neighboring country.

February 2

Cuban minister to head Committee on Venezuela's power crisis
President Hugo Chávez said on February 2 that Ramiro Valdez, the Cuban Minister of Technology, is in Venezuela to head a technical committee in order to address the power crisis.

Chávez said during an official event held in the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex that the Cuban leader Fidel Castro contacted the Venezuelan government and asked it authorization to send, with the consent of President Raúl Castro, a technical commission to help resolve the power crisis in Venezuela.

"We have received Commander Ramiro Valdez. He is with us and is heading a technical commission," Chávez said. The Venezuelan President highlighted the role of the Cuban top official in the revolution led by Fidel Castro.

Ramiro Valdez is the Cuban Minister of Information and Technology and President of the Council of Ministers.

Medium-sized enterprises to cut power consumption by 20 percent
A plan to cut power consumption among large consumers located in the area covered by state-run utility Electricidad de Caracas (EDC), which replaces the power-rationing plan implemented during one day only (January 13), will affect businesses, industries, retailers and medium-sized service companies.

The plan intends to expand the range of users that will be forced to cut electricity consumption by 20 percent. This will encourage the rest of users to take energy saving measures. The new plan will not affect small enterprises, residential areas and socially sensitive sectors.

It became known that at the end of last year, energy officials held a meeting with heavy consumers (industries and retailers) located in Caracas metropolitan area and urged them to reduce electricity consumption by 20 percent, according to the decrees issued by the Ministry of Electrical Energy, published in the Official Gazettes dated November 4, 2009, and December 21, 2009.

On that occasion, the request was extended to medium-sized consumers. Energy officials said that this category comprises companies with consumption higher than 25 KVA, that is businesses, retailers and medium-sized service companies (restaurants, beauty salons, supermarkets, just to name a few.)

For instance, a house or an apartment can consume about 2.5 KVA, but a building could consume up to 25 KVA. However, the measure would not be implemented in this case because the service is charged individually, rather than collectively.

Although the resolution is expected to be published on February 2, government authorities reported unofficially that the companies that fail to meet power saving measures (cutting energy consumption by 20 percent) will be temporarily closed depending on the seriousness of the misdemeanor. The penalty would be stricter to recidivistic companies and factories.

In this new rationing plan, the government "apparently will not use grid-circuits," said Víctor Poleo (a graduate professor of Oil Economics at the Central University of Venezuela) and Miguel Lara (former general manager of the Office of Operations of Interconnected Systems (Opsis). "The first power cuts did not work because the design of power grids in the cities does not exclude hospitals, schools from rationing. The power service is intended to be used permanently and reliably. It is not intended to be used selectively."

Meanwhile, government officials expect to increase by 1,692 megawatts (Mw) the thermal generation capacity between January and May 2010, through the setting up of small generation plants and the entry into operation of the unit 1 of Planta Centro power station.

President Hugo Chávez asked energy authorities to speed up the purchase of thermal power plants in Russia, China, Japan, Germany and Brazil.

February 3

Journalist: Presence of Cuban Minister in Venezuela is a "terrible humiliation"
Carlos Alberto Montaner, a Cuban author, journalist and analyst of Latin American affairs who has been in exile for several years, does not rule out that the presence of the Cuban Minister of Technology Ramiro Valdez in Venezuela is intended as "repressive," rather than to help solve a serious energy crisis facing Venezuela.

"This is largely intended to intimidate the power hierarchy," said Montaner in an interview with Unión Radio, a Venezuelan radio station. "Fidel Castro would not send him (Valdez) unless Chávez agrees, and Chávez would only request Valdez's help amidst a very uncomfortable position," added Montaner.

"This is very bad news for Venezuelans," said the Cuban author. "The fact that this man has been sent to bring order to Venezuela is a terrible humiliation for Venezuelan people, for Venezuelan military officials, and for the power hierarchy."

February 4

Venezuelan Engineers' Association warns against serious energy crisis
Venezuelan Engineers' Association (CIV) termed disrespectful the appointment of Ramiro Valdés, the Cuban Minister of Technology, to head a technical commission to address the electricity deficit facing Venezuela, and claimed that there are enough skilled professionals in Venezuela willing to seek a solution to the issue.

President of the CIV, Enzo Betancourt, said that Valdés does not know the situation of the domestic electrical system, because Venezuela's power grid system is different from Cuba's. Betancourt added that there are about 220,000 engineers associated with the CIV, and among them several experts in the area.

During an interview in a Venezuelan private TV network, the head of the Venezuelan engineers association said that the situation facing the electrical system is "very serious" because of disinvestment and lack of maintenance.

He recalled that the CIV warned about the situation of the electricity sector six years ago.

Power plants purchased from Cuba are insufficient to solve energy crisis
Although the Venezuelan government recently appointed Cuban Minister Ramiro Valdés as head of a commission to help the Venezuelan government to solve the energy crisis, the presence of Cubans in the electrical industry is not new.

The Energy Revolution Mission, a government program to replace millions of incandescent light bulbs for energy-saving light bulbs and establish power generation plants, is similar to programs implemented in Cuba.

The first agreements between Venezuela and Cuba to ensure the supply of energy-saving light bulbs and small power plants manufactured in Cuba were signed in 2007.

Miguel Lara, a former general manager of the Office of Operations of Interconnected Systems (Opsis), says that these plants "were used in Venezuela 50 years ago, before power utility Cadafe moved to build the national electricity grid."

Lara said that the Cuban power plants "are short-lived and have high operating costs because they burn a lot of gas oil and they are not part of the national interconnected system."