Venezuelan Gov’t Scales Down Public Sector Schedule in Electricity Rationing Measure

Caracas, March 25, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Nicolás Maduro government has announced a six-week plan to reduce electrical consumption in state institutions.

Caracas has called for a collective response to a climate emergency that has caused a severe drought in the region, affecting water levels in Western Venezuela hydroelectric dams.

“This special situation calls on everyone to participate and act collectively to overcome the challenge,” a statement published by the Electricity Ministry on Sunday read.

Starting on March 24, all public sector entities operate on a “1×1” regime, alternating working and non-working days, for a six-week period. Furthermore, working days will have a reduced schedule from 8 am to 12:30 pm.

The government communique added that state organs providing “essential services” would be excluded from the temporary schedule but did not offer further details.

On Monday, the Ministry of Education clarified that all public schools will continue functioning normally, though the exceptional schedule will apply to the ministry’s administrative personnel. State-owned Bank of Venezuela, the country’s largest bank, announced that it will continue opening to the public every day but only until noon.

The Maduro administration went on to call on the population to “take effective measures” to reduce energy consumption, including raising air-conditioner temperatures and unplugging devices that are not in use.

The Venezuelan government has implemented electricity rationing plans in the past to address climate-induced crises or electrical grid shortcomings. However, restricting these measures to the public sector offers limited savings. Given the intense heat in many parts of the country, many institutional buildings have centralized air conditioning systems that cannot be plugged off and on constantly.

Furthermore, the electricity saved by reducing public administration hours is offset by an increase in domestic consumption. The industrial and retail sectors, with much larger electricity demands, face no rationing requirements.

Venezuelan states Mérida, Táchira, Barinas and Zulia, located to the west of the country, have faced severe blackouts in recent weeks of up to eight hours on a daily basis. Social media users expressed frustration at the unpredictability and lack of official information surrounding power cuts.

The Caribbean nation remains heavily reliant on the 10,000 MW-capacity Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant, known as the Guri dam, located in Bolívar state and estimated to produce around 80 percent of the country’s electricity. The recurring blackouts in the areas furthest away from Guri have fueled speculation by industry analysts over the state of the transmission infrastructure.

Venezuela has suffered severe nationwide outages in recent years, including a prolonged days-long blackout in 2019. Most recently, the country was in the dark for around 12 hours in August 2024. The Maduro government has denounced sabotage attacks from far-right and hostile international actors against the electric grid.

State electricity company CORPOELEC has managed to largely avoid countrywide issues by applying selective rationing plans. Caracas and central areas have been mostly shielded from power cuts.

Past electricity crises led the Hugo Chávez government to draw up plans to expand supply with other sources throughout the country, including hydroelectric plants servicing the west of the country. However, the ensuing economic crisis, as well as corruption cases, saw many of the major works unfinished.

US sanctions heavily compounded the problem, blocking equipment servicing and spare part imports. Diesel shortages caused by the economic blockade also rendered a number of diesel-powered plants inactive.

In March 2024, Venezuelan authorities announced the reactivation of the General José Antonio Páez Hydroelectric Complex in Barinas state in an effort to shore up the electricity supply to western Venezuelan states.

Authorities pledged that the dam would provide 120 MW before being upgraded to its maximum 240 MW capacity. However, in December 2024 the plant was supplying a reported 60 MW.

Edited by José Luis Granados Ceja in Mexico City, Mexico.