Just as Venezuela tries to entice foreign capital with the promise of a new economic phase to recover key sectors, electricity rationing continues in regions like Zulia - bordering Colombia (northwest) - increasing skepticism about overcoming years of infrastructure deterioration. Henry Chirinos / EFE Power outages of several hours without an official schedule, as claimed by those affected, returned last February after an apparent stabilization in 2025 of the electrical crisis that the country has suffered for more than 15 years. It wasn't until March 22 that the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, announced an 'energy saving plan' to cope with a solar phenomenon that, she anticipated, would cause increased temperatures for 45 days in the country. The period expired this Wednesday. Amid user complaints, the Sectoral Vice Presidency of Public Works and Services reported that on May 7, the country reached 'a milestone in electricity demand,' reaching 15,570 megawatts, a figure it described as 'the highest in the last nine years.' Given the increased consumption, which it attributed to 'high temperatures' and 'economic growth,' the government announced that it is implementing 'maneuvers' to stabilize and protect the electrical system to ensure service balance. But on a daily basis, users' concern focuses on unexpected service cuts, which can last up to seven hours in cities like Maracaibo - the capital of Zulia - or Mérida. Both cities, located in the west of the country, are among the areas most affected by electrical failures in the last two decades, being the last link in the network mainly fed by the Guri plant, located in southwestern Venezuela, at the opposite end of the national territory. 'It's a surprise, a game of Russian roulette what we are experiencing with the electrical system when the lights go out,' Gustavo Aguilar, 68, a resident of the Maracaibo community of Zapara, told EFE about the unexpected outages. Aguilar complains that 'there is no official information... about why this is happening,' and declares himself 'a bit skeptical' about the negotiations announced by the government with Siemens and General Electric to resolve the electrical crisis in Zulia. However, he qualifies: 'if there are announcements of improvement, they are obviously welcome.' Other areas, like Caracas, the country's capital and traditionally exempt from prolonged blackouts, suffer voltage fluctuations almost daily. For other sectors, the effects of the electrical crisis translate into red numbers. During 2022, for example, 60% of businesses had closed in Zulia, while in 2025, when the system seemed stabilized, the figure dropped to 40%, according to the Maracaibo Chamber of Commerce. The president of this association, Dino Cafoncelli, explained to EFE that, although medium and large companies have managed to shield themselves through 'alternative systems,' this option is unattainable for small businesses. In fact, in the guild's latest survey, more than 90% of respondents rank the electrical crisis as their primary concern. 'We hope that these companies that are arriving will, of course, bring quick and effective solutions for the region,' added Cafoncelli. For engineer Alejandro López, from the Center for Technological Research at the private Rafael Belloso Chacín university in Maracaibo, the recovery of the electrical system requires decentralization with the reactivation of regional thermoelectric plants and staff training. 'We have to start by recovering the turbines of the Termozulia plants that were installed by Siemens and General Electric,' indicated López, for whom the approach with these companies for the recovery and restoration of the thermoelectric park in that oil region 'is correct.' No details of the negotiations are known, nor whether the work will actually begin or when. The only certainty, paradoxically, is the uncertainty and exhaustion of a citizenry forced to carry out their daily tasks under the threat that a cut can happen at any moment. Jennifer Andrade, 45, confesses that she prefers to cook 'early' since there is no set time for rationing. 'Today,' she recounted, 'it went out at 6:00 (in the evening) and everyone was already ready, they had just eaten.'
