Power station blast adds to sense of chaos in Venezuela

[Ghost Dog]

Source: Associated Press

... Critical conductors had overheated at the hydroelectric station at the Guri Dam, the cornerstone of Venezuela’s electrical grid, said Winston Cabas, the head of Venezuela’s electrical engineers union, which opposes the government. He disputed government allegations that the dam was the target of sabotage and blamed the problem on a lack of maintenance as well as the departure of skilled workers from the troubled country over the years.

“The system is vulnerable, fragile and unstable,” he said.

President Nicolas Maduro has accused Guaido and the United States of staging a “cyberattack” on Venezuela’s power grid. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez earlier described it as a cyberattack on the dam’s operating system, which signals to machines whether to boost or diminish power based on capacity and demand.

The U.S. dismisses the allegation...

Read more: https://apnews.com/07e2f8abb3a64506a91d11dfd69e86cc

---

AP either does not ask, for some reason, why in Sr. Cabas's opinion or according to his information did these critical conductors overheat at the hydroelectric station at the Guri Dam, the proximate cause, or for some reason fails to report the answer other than to dispute the idea that there could have been sabotage - by members of his union, for example, which opposes the government... Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez does, on the other hand, point to a credible alleged proximate cause: a cyberattack causing machines to boost power regardless of capacity or demand.

Edit: There is some further discussion on this subject at the Latin America group here.

[GatoGordo]

1. The most well guarded power station on the planet

"There is no way to access the interconnected Guri system"
Engineer Wiston Cabas: "The thermoelectric generation of the country is on the ground"
By: Aporrea-Agencia | Monday, 03/11/2019 03:23 PM

translated from Spanish

11-03-19.-The president of the Association of Electrical Engineers in Venezuela, Wiston Cabas, reported on Monday during a press conference that the electrical situation is "complex" and requires trained personnel and resources that are not have in the country, reviewed the Caraota Digital portal.

"The thermoelectric generation of the country is on the ground," said Cabas. At the same time he said that, according to analysis, Corpoelec workers will take "a few prudential days" to fix the situation.

The engineer explained that the government of Nicolás Maduro must put pressure on the Venezuelan state company, PDVSA, to manufacture the fuels needed by thermoelectric, diesel and gas, to solve the fault that was generated in the Guri.

"The states are paying for the crisis. The government has to inform the truth about what happens, but since they do not, anxiety and anguish are generated. "

Cabas denied the statements of government officials, who insist that the failures did not occur due to lack of investment or maintenance but because of an "attack" generated by the Donald Trump government.

"There is no way to access the interconnected system of the Guri, and if they are going to do it physically there is a platoon of the National Armed Force (FAN) that prevents the entry of people."

He also asked the government to allow an audit to analyze and evaluate the failures. He also urged that the Maduro Minister of Electric Power, Luis Motta Domínguez, be asked to report on the activities carried out during his tenure.

"We have been alerting the situation for more than 10 years so that this did not happen and they did nothing," he said.

https://www.aporrea.org/energia/n339292.html

[EX500rider]

2. Not surprising they are having outages.

The country currently generates about 18.3 thousand megawatts (MW) daily, but needs about 19.3 thousand MW.

https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/venezuelas-electricity-deficit

[yaesu]

3. I'm sure the country has had a brain drain do to poor leadership & years of American intervention

& sanctions. Its a shame that the people are always the victims when countries dispute, Maduro over ideology, the US over corporate greed.

[GatoGordo]

5. The sanctions against PdVSA are relatively new

About 45 days old.

1. Prior to that, about 40 Chavistas were sanctioned. (No US citizen/entity could do business with them directly) Prior to Trump, Obama had sanctions on 7 Chavistas.
2, Also, no US citizen/entity could refinance PdVSA debt. Curiously, nobody else was willing except Goldman Sachs (Hunger Bonds)

That's the extent of the sanctions.

There is no reason Maduro can't purchase and import anything he wants. He certainly imports a shitload of tear gas.

[Perseus]

6. Nothing to do with American Intervention...Please find the facts

People leave the country because they have no security...let me explain:

1. There is a 50-50% chance that you can get mugged, kidnapped, or killed in plain daylight, that is between 07:00am and 06:00pm
2. The percentages get worst if you stay out after 06:00pm. Between 06:00pm and 08:00pm the probabilities go up to 70%
3. After 08:00pm the probabilities go up to 90%

People who have families, who are educated and know they can start a life for them and their families somewhere else will do so, that is why there is a drainage of brain in the country, not because "American Intervention". "American Intervention" DOES NOT EXIST in Venezuela.

Do VENEZUELANS WANT USA INTERVENTION TO HELP GET RID OF THE REGIME? YES, THEY DO.

The regime is a kleptocracy, they are thugs, criminals, crooks...stop blaming the USA and look at Cuba and Russia for what is happening in Venezuela, please...

[GatoGordo]

7. THIS

Nobody goes out after dark unless they are armed or are desperate

I remember when stores were open until late in the night. 2300 closing hours were not unusual. You could get food anyplace downtown all night long, and the nightclubs were open until dawn. Part of my honeymoon was spent with relatives in a very nice hotel in Maracay, then on the the beach for the remainder. We partied and danced all night for a week and NEVER a problem when the sun went down.

That was 30 years ago. Today, I wouldn't go out with my Army buddies after dark.

In Venezuela, they have a very strict gun control law. Yet the violent supporters of Chavismo (colectivos) have military grade, fully automatic weapons (some with grenade launchers!) on their person while riding around on their motorcycles?

HOW THE F-CK DOES THAT HAPPEN?

[Jedi Guy]

8. Isn't it obvious?

The CIA is down there kidnapping and murdering people, then blaming it on Maduro's regime. I'm sure they're handing out all that military-grade weaponry too. They're a dastardly bunch, that CIA. Venezuela would be paradise on Earth if not for the United States.

[LanternWaste]

9. It's fun to pretend America's hand are lily-white in regards to Latin America.

Absurd, of course... but that's a special consistency I've come to expect from people who merely allege to be well-read.

Obvious as the Bohr model.

[Jedi Guy]

10. You should really consider a hobby, friend. N/T

[LiberalLovinLug]

13. Must be nice eh?

To live in such a bubble that you can even make jokes about it at the expense of all the victims throughout the last century, while you laugh at their misery in your white hat.

[allgood33]

4. Hmmm......

[hack89]

11. Lack of maintenance and skilled workers makes perfect sense

to anyone that has been following Venezuela for the past 15 years. Huge amounts of money were funneled into social programs but not to pay for critical infrastructure. The problem is much worse in the oil industry - there are good reasons they have seen a steady and steep decline in oil production and exports.

[GatoGordo]

14. Occams Razor

The simplest answer usually suffices

Venezuela has been suffering blackouts for YEARS, becoming more and more frequent.
Venezuela's own engineers have been warning for YEARS that this MEGA BLACKOUT was coming.
Venezuela's Chavistas have insisted for YEARS that every blackout wasn't their fault. Always sabotage. Or iguanas. Or the sun too close.

And now

What has been warned about has come to pass. The MEGA BLACKOUT.
And the Venezuelan engineers are saying, "We told you so!"

and the Chavistas are saying...


wait for it...


wait for it...


SABOTAGE!

[Jose Garcia]

12. Some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on

[JCMach1]

15. The CIA would NEVER do anything like that!