- Title: VENEZUELA: Chavez tries energy saving scheme amidst power shortage
- Date: 11th March 2010
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (RECENT) (REUTERS) SOLDIER CHANGING LIGHT BULB VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS WALKING WITH BOXES OF LIGHT BULBS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUAN CARLOS MONTEZUNO, EMPLOYEE FOR ENERGY COMPANY, SAYING: "I give them the light bulbs. They go house-to-house and change the old bulbs with these new ones that are being handed out."
- Embargoed: 26th March 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Energy
- Reuters ID: LVA9F7C2XVHG0BKBB1WDDKPQY46L
- Story Text: Venezuela launches power saving schemes as the country struggles with power shortages that are jeopardizing economy and Chavez's popularity.
Venezuela's deepening electricity crisis has forced the government of President Hugo Chavez to enact rationing schemes as it looks to expensive measures to increase energy output and stave off negative effects the shortage is having on the OPEC nation's $300 billion dollar economy.
The power shortages have come since late 2009 when a drought began to empty hydroelectric dams that supply 70 percent of Venezuela 's electricity. Low reservoir levels threatened to shut off 40 percent of the country's electricity generation.
Chavez declared an emergency on Feb. 8, ordering industry to cut consumption by 20 percent. To cut back on the unpopular scheduled blackouts, Chavez started an aggressive campaign to get low-consumption light bulbs into homes.
Soldiers are going door-to-door in Caracas' heavily populated, low-income neighborhoods with boxes of bulbs.
Juan Carlos Montezuno, an employee for an energy company in Caracas, provides the light bulbs for the soldiers.
"I give them the light bulbs. They go house-to-house and change the old bulbs with these new ones that are being handed out," he said.
The power cuts are threatening Chavez's support ahead of September legislative elections and he hopes the bulb program will save energy without damaging his popularity.
"What's going on with the bulbs? We've changed over 50 million bulbs to lower consumption to save energy. We're doing this and the people are doing their part by turning off the lights, saving electricity," Chavez said on Tuesday (March 09).
Raisabel Gutierrres and her daughter looked on their Caracas apartment as soldiers changed bulbs.
Gutierres said it forces people into making changes.
"It's seems really great to me because I don't think people change their way of thinking very quickly. People aren't going to go out and buy the bulbs so going house-to-house is a big incentive," she said, Electricity rationing is already in place for up to 14 hours a week in some regions, and could worsen in the second quarter, before Venezuela 's seasonal rains begin, usually around May.
At a Caracas mall, Chavez has ordered lights out for certain periods of time and mall manager Gustavo Gonzales said the blackouts are hurting businesses.
"We have to agree because it's a presidential decree and we have to comply with it. It's a tough blow. It's a 20 percent reduction in the quality of service we provide, we undoubtedly affects sales," he said.
Analysts say the crisis may even worsen in 2011, since reservoirs could take more than a year of rains to refill from current critical levels.
In recent polls most people blame the government for the crisis.
An El Nino-linked drought is a big factor, but the crisis is also due to power demand growing 6 percent a year this decade, triple the rate of expansion in generation capacity.
The government is now looking to revamp the power grid buying $4 billion dollars worth of power turbines and paying premium prices to rush in new power plants that can run on either natural gas or petroleum. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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