Uncertainty and concern reign over the silence of Corpoelec authorities (Venezuela’s Electrical Corporation, a government run monopoly) in the face of the harsh rationing and rolling blacouts suffered by both the business sector and the general population of Margarita island since last Monday after the explosion of the Muscar gas compression plant in Monagas State.
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Given the secrecy maintained by the electric corporation, Jesús Irausquín, President of Fedecámaras Nueva Esparta (Federation of chambers of commerce of Nueva Esparta State), demands timely and truthful information from Corpoelec to minimize uncertainty about how long this situation will last and to end rumors that this conditions will last at least for three more weeks.
“The situation is critical. The constant power cuts, scheduled since Tuesday in eight-hour blocks, are severely affecting commercial activity, the educational sector and homes,” Irausquín highlighted.
The president of the business trade unions of the region confirmed that in view of the contingency, they sent a new communication to the Minister of Electric Energy, Eliécer Márquez, to the Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, and to the Minister of Tourism, Leticia Gómez, warning about the difficult situation that the people of Margarita (The island is the biggest of Nueva Estarta State) are suffering at this time.
In the letter they also reiterate the proposals that they have presented to these governmen agencies since 2022, with the aim of improving the conditions of the island’s electrical system, which would reduce the impact of unforeseen events such as the current one.
“This problem is not new. Our business chambers and from Fedecámaras itself we have been warning about the need to find solutions that allow Nueva Esparta to have a stable and reliable source of energy,” he reiterated.
Irausquín recalled that the private sector has proposed developing projects to diversify the island’s energy matrix and reduce dependence on external sources, including reactivating the dual system of generating plants to cover greater demand in case the National Electric System fails.
They have also proposed making investments on land, which would allow the use of the full capacity of the submarine cable and thus guarantee the supply of diesel for the electric plants of companies and homes.
But beyond this economic and technical action, he insisted on the establishment of a policy of transparency in information, allowing direct channels of communication, as well as the definition of a schedule of power cuts, which would allow citizens and companies to plan their activities while stopping rumors and alarms that are understandable because it is a basic service.