Blackout in Venezuela: The Limits of a Fragile Power System

A blackout lasting over 12 hours in Venezuela exposes the weaknesses of the national power grid. While the government accuses the opposition of sabotage, experts point to a lack of maintenance and chronic structural failures.

Share:

Caracas dans le noir

Comprehensive energy news coverage, updated nonstop

Annual subscription

8.25£/month*

*billed annually at 99£/year for the first year then 149,00£/year ​

Unlimited access • Archives included • Professional invoice

OTHER ACCESS OPTIONS

Monthly subscription

Unlimited access • Archives included

5.2£/month*
then 14.90£ per month thereafter

FREE ACCOUNT

3 articles offered per month

FREE

*Prices are excluding VAT, which may vary depending on your location or professional status

Since 2021: 35,000 articles • 150+ analyses per week

Venezuela is gradually restoring electricity after a widespread blackout lasting more than 12 hours on August 30, 2024.
The blackout affected the whole country, plunging millions of Venezuelans into darkness, after a failure at the Simón Bolívar hydroelectric plant.
Nicolas Maduro and his administration claim that the blackout is the result of “sabotage” by the political opposition, supported by “fascist currents” and organized from the United States. This event takes place in a tense climate, as the opposition continues to contest the legitimacy of Maduro’s re-election on July 28. In a televised statement, Maduro described the act as an attack “full of vengeance and hatred”.
His Minister of Communications, Freddy Nanez, reinforces this rhetoric by referring to the cost of recovering the power grid in 2019, a year marked by a five-day blackout.
However, these accusations of sabotage are not backed up by concrete evidence, nor do they provide details of the exact extent of the damage or the areas affected.
Official statements give way to more technical analyses of the situation.

Failure at the Simón Bolívar power plant and regional consequences

The blackout began at the Simón Bolívar hydroelectric plant in the state of Bolívar, the country’s largest and main source of electricity production.
The incident brought the power grid to an immediate halt, affecting both major cities such as Caracas and more isolated regions.
While electricity gradually returned to the capital and other areas by Friday evening, states such as Mérida, Táchira, Zulia and Lara continued to suffer from unstable and intermittent power supplies.
In towns such as Michelena, in the state of Táchira, residents report that power returned temporarily before leaving again, illustrating the precariousness of the recovery.
Internet connectivity, measured by the NGO VE Sin Filtro, reached just 92.7% on Saturday morning, underlining that the return to normal is not yet complete.
Meanwhile, the Caracas metro service has been restored, but disruptions persist in other public and commercial infrastructures, affecting daily life and economic activity in the country.
Businesses and small operations depend on backup generators, whose installation and maintenance represent additional costs in an already strained economic context.

Energy Experts: Between Technical Failure and Underinvestment

Experts in the energy sector offer a different perspective from that of the government on the causes of the blackout.
Jose Aguilar, a power grid expert, argues that the blackout was probably due to a technical “failure” that would not have had such a widespread impact in a more robust, well-maintained system.
He points out that the “precariousness of the Venezuelan electrical system is such that one thing leads to another”, suggesting a domino effect caused by the absence of preventive measures and maintenance.
Victor Poleo, former Vice-Minister of Electrical Energy, argues that the incident could be linked to an “atmospheric discharge”, aggravated by inadequate and obsolete protection systems.
He criticizes the lack of maintenance and the delay in replacing critical equipment, pointing to years of mismanagement and underfunding in the energy sector.
This analysis highlights the structural challenges Venezuela faces in modernizing and stabilizing its power grid.

The Economic and Political Repercussions of the Black-Out

The impact of the blackout extends far beyond the technical, affecting the country’s economic and political landscape.
In the hardest-hit regions such as Mérida and Zulia, where temperatures frequently reach 40 degrees Celsius, the prolonged blackouts bring additional challenges, such as limited access to drinking water and the need to resort to improvised means of cooling.
Local testimonies, such as that of Nairelis Ramirez in Los Puertos de Altagracia, underline the growing uncertainty and frustration of citizens faced with these repeated blackouts.
The situation comes against a backdrop of post-electoral crisis, with the opposition still claiming victory in July’s presidential elections.
The government’s repeated use of the rhetoric of sabotage and foreign intervention serves to mobilize its political base, but it also masks systemic problems of energy management and infrastructure.
These sabotage narratives, while frequent, do not address the deeper concerns of economic and industrial players about the need for comprehensive reform of the energy sector.

Urgent Need for Reform and Strategic Investment

The vulnerability of Venezuela’s electricity infrastructure calls for a reassessment of energy policy priorities.
For industry professionals, it is essential to invest in network modernization, improve risk management and strengthen resilience against potential failures.
However, international sanctions, combined with the difficult domestic economic situation, pose significant obstacles to the implementation of such initiatives.
There is a growing need for a more rigorous and structured approach to power system management.
The confidence of investors and trading partners in Venezuela’s energy stability depends on these changes.
The country is at a crossroads where decisions taken today will have a lasting impact on its economic and energy future.

As oil production declines, Gabon is relying on regulatory reforms and large-scale investments to build a new growth framework focused on local transformation and industrialisation.
Cameroon will adopt a customs exemption on industrial equipment related to biofuels starting in 2026, as part of its new energy strategy aimed at regulating a still underdeveloped sector.
Facing a persistent fuel shortage and depleted foreign reserves, the Bolivian parliament has passed an exceptional law allowing private actors to import gasoline, diesel and LPG tax-free for three months.
Ghana aims to secure $16 billion in oil revenues over ten years, but the continued drop in production raises doubts about the sector’s long-term stability.
The government of Kinshasa has signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam's Vingroup to develop a 6,300-hectare urban project and modernise mobility through an electric transport network.
ERCOT’s grid adapts to record electricity consumption by relying on the growth of solar, wind and battery storage to maintain system stability.
The French government will raise the energy savings certificate budget by 27% in 2026, leveraging more private funds to support thermal renovation and electric mobility.
Facing opposition criticism, Monique Barbut asserts that France’s energy sovereignty relies on a strategy combining civil nuclear power and renewable energy.
The European Commission is reviving efforts to abolish daylight saving time, supported by several member states, as the energy savings from the practice are now considered negligible.
Rising responses to UNEP’s satellite alerts trigger measurement, reporting and verification clauses; the European Union sets import milestones, Japan strengthens liquefied natural gas traceability; operators and steelmakers adjust budgets and contracts.
The Finance Committee has adopted an amendment to overhaul electricity pricing by removing the planned redistribution mechanism and capping producers' profit margins.
The European Commission unveils a seven-point action plan aimed at lowering energy costs, targeting energy-intensive industries and households facing persistently high utility bills.
The European Commission plans to keep energy at the heart of its 2026 agenda, with several structural reforms targeting market security, governance and simplification.
The new Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)–Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin no Kai) axis combines a nuclear restart, targeted fuel tax cuts and energy subsidies, with immediate effects on prices and risk reallocations for operators. —
German authorities have ruled out market abuse by major power producers during sharp price increases caused by low renewable output in late 2024.
A new International Energy Agency report urges Maputo to accelerate energy investment to ensure universal electricity access and support its emerging industry.
Increased reliance on combined-cycle plants after the April 28 blackout pushed gas use for electricity up by about 37%, bringing total demand to 267.6 TWh and strengthening flows to France.
The United States announces a tariff increase beyond the 10% base rate targeting several Colombian products. Bogotá has recalled its ambassador. The detailed list of tariff lines has not yet been published, while Colombia’s ban on coal exports to Israel remains in effect.
The president-elect outlines a pro-market agenda: gradual reform of fuel subsidies, review of Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) lithium contracts, and monetization of gas transit between Argentina and Brazil, prioritizing supply stabilization.
A three-year partnership has been signed between Senegal and two Quebec-based companies to develop the country’s geoscientific capacity and structure its energy sector through technological innovation.

All the latest energy news, all the time

Annual subscription

8.25£/month*

*billed annually at 99£/year for the first year then 149,00£/year ​

Unlimited access - Archives included - Pro invoice

Monthly subscription

Unlimited access • Archives included

5.2£/month*
then 14.90£ per month thereafter

*Prices shown are exclusive of VAT, which may vary according to your location or professional status.

Since 2021: 30,000 articles - +150 analyses/week.