Electricity was restored in Caracas and other areas of Venezuela on Saturday following a major blackout that had plunged much of the country into darkness on Friday. However, intermittent outages continued in the oil-producing state of Zulia, according to Reuters witnesses.
The Venezuelan government attributed the blackout to an “attack” on the Guri Dam, the country’s largest, though no further details were provided.
Residents in affected areas expressed frustration and concern. Jose Rincon, a teacher in Valencia, worried about food spoilage due to the power outage. Reyner Acosta, a retiree in Maracaibo, reported that while power briefly returned early Saturday morning, it was unreliable and frequently interrupted.
Operations at the Jose oil terminal, Venezuela’s largest, resumed on Saturday after being disrupted by the blackout. This terminal handles about 70% of the country’s oil exports and does not have its own energy system. The Petropiar oil upgrader, crucial for producing exportable crude, also resumed operations.
Experts attribute Venezuela’s frequent blackouts to inadequate maintenance and disinvestment in the electrical infrastructure. A major nationwide power outage in 2019 was similarly blamed on opposition attacks by Venezuelan authorities.
