-- Venezuela's Ministry of Electricity has activated emergency measures to stabilize the national grid after electricity consumption surged this week to its highest level in nearly a decade, the government said Thursday, warning of renewed strain on a system long marked by instability, news outlets reported.
The Ministry of Electricity did not specify the measures but called on private businesses to cut usage and reiterated a ban on energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining. Officials said the spike in demand was driven by higher temperatures and increased economic activity, adding that peak consumption exceeded 15,500 megawatts on Thursday.
Bloomberg reported that the rising load on the system is complicating efforts to revive key sectors such as oil, mining, and industry, all of which are heavily dependent on reliable electricity. The grid has endured years of underinvestment in hydroelectric facilities and transmission infrastructure.
On Monday, Reuters reported that less than 40% of Venezuela's electricity generation capacity is currently operational, resulting in frequent blackouts and restricting industrial and manufacturing activity.
Outages have been especially severe outside Caracas. In Zulia state, a major oil-producing region, residents have reported blackouts lasting six hours or more per day amid ongoing rationing.
Electricity Minister Rolando Alcala, speaking on state television, said consumer cooperation was essential. "We are working hard to recover and stabilize the system," he said. "The national electrical system is the engine, the core factor, for all development activities in a country," Bloomberg reported.
State media have repeatedly aired conservation messages urging households to unplug appliances when not in use as part of efforts to reduce grid load, the news agency said.
Energy analysts have long warned that Venezuela's dependence on an overstretched hydroelectric system, combined with limited thermal generation capacity and maintenance gaps, leaves the grid highly vulnerable to demand spikes and climate-related stress.