Thermoelectric plants use fossil fuels such as petroleum derivatives and gas to generate electricity. In the photo: Planta Centro in Carabobo State. ArwinJ.
Guacamaya, March 25, 2025. The Venezuelan government will implement a reduction in the public sector workday to four and a half hours per day, along with a “1×1” work schedule (one day on, one day off), starting this Monday, citing a “climate emergency” affecting hydroelectric reservoirs. However, experts argue that the measure exposes the collapse of the country’s thermoelectric system, which has been neglected due to lack of maintenance.
On Sunday, March 23, 2025, Nicolás Maduro’s administration announced that for six weeks, public office hours would be limited from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with a one-day-on, one-day-off schedule. The measure, which excludes essential services, aims to reduce energy consumption as water levels drop in the Guri hydroelectric complex, which supplies 80% of the country’s electricity.
This is not the first time Venezuela has imposed rationing: between 2016 and 2019, massive blackouts and droughts led to similar adjustments. The government urged citizens to adopt energy-saving measures, such as setting air conditioners to 23°C (73°F) and unplugging non-essential devices.
A Possible Explanation: Thermoelectric Plants Out of Service
Alejandro López González, an electrical engineer and Doctor of Sustainability with a master’s degree in energy engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, questioned whether drought is the sole cause of the crisis. “Claiming that water shortages are affecting electricity is an admission that thermoelectric plants are out of service. The government has destroyed the backup system,” he said.
According to López, Venezuela has one of the largest per capita freshwater reserves in the world (28,000 m³ per inhabitant), but its water and electrical infrastructure has been “dismantled and neglected.” He noted that while the country had an installed thermoelectric capacity of 20,000 megawatts a decade ago, only 10,000 MW remain operational today—mostly from hydroelectric sources.
“Temperature increases due to climate change are not new; warnings have been issued for 40 years. During the Fourth Republic, plants like Termozulia were built for such contingencies, but now they are inoperative due to lack of maintenance,” he added.
The expert criticized the attempt to blame the crisis solely on climate factors and called the reduced work hours a measure that is “more political than energy-related”: “The energy savings will be minimal. It seems the free time will be used for partisan activities.”
Recurrent Blackouts Since 2009
Power outages have been frequent in Venezuela since 2009, especially in the interior. Between 2019 and 2024, massive failures left the country without electricity for days, which experts attributed to grid deterioration, while the government blamed “sabotage.”
“The government has destroyed thermoelectric generation capacity—that’s what they’re admitting,” González said in reference to the measure.
While authorities continue to call for energy conservation, López concluded: “The problem is not the climate, but the lack of maintenance and the dysfunction of the electrical system.”
Venezuelan officials have claimed that the crisis is due to “sabotage” and the effects of “unilateral corrective measures” imposed by the United States and other countries.
