VOA新闻杂志2023--Power Cuts Hit Venezuela's West During Heat Wave

Power Cuts Hit Venezuela's West During Heat Wave

People in central Venezuela are losing electricity service regularly.

The lack of power means Venezuelans cannot cool their homes during a heat wave. Lack of electricity also means that factories, homes and basic service providers, or utilities, have no power.

Citizens, engineers, and researchers say electricity producing stations are failing to provide enough electricity when hydroelectric dams have low water levels.

"It is inhumane that in a city like this they cut our power during the hottest hours," said 42-year-old Mariana Barboza in Maracaibo, where temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius¹.

Reuters news service says long power cuts had been avoided in recent years because demand has dropped sharply. Also, President Nicolas Maduro's government has aimed to improve power lines. But outages have returned. Now, they are affecting the capital Caracas, which had not experienced them too often in the past.

People from Caracas said the cuts last for at least four hours a day. Maduro said recently that Venezuela's average temperature rose four degrees Celsius this year.

During part of the year, electricity-producing dams have reduced water flow while demand for electricity to cool homes increases. This has led to reports of a public water supply that is not always available, and unstable² electricity at factories and oil operations. There have also been times when telecommunications services are unavailable.

The city of Maracaibo is the capital of Zulia, a state in the west of the country. Reuters reported that some public hospitals in the state were told to begin operating their own power stations. That is because the local government cannot secure dependable power. A person with knowledge of the plan spoke³ to the news agency.

Venezuela's information ministry⁴ and state power company Corpoelec did not answer requests for comment by Reuters.

No water, no power

Venezuela's main power supply comes from the Guri Dam in the south of the country. But the dam produces less electricity when water levels are low before the rainy season.

In 2019, Venezuela's power transport system collapsed⁵. It left almost the whole country without electricity for four days.

The government has made improvements to the power transportation lines since then to avoid a similar crisis. But researchers say that even some of the recently built fuel-powered plants are out of service because of a lack of fuel, delayed repairs, and lack of replacement⁶ parts.

That leaves the power system at risk of outages whenever demand is above the 12,000 Megawatts (MW) usually produced by the Guri Dam. In May, independent estimates showed that the daily demand for electricity reached almost 13,000 Megawatts.

However, that number is down from the 19,000 Megawatts that used to be needed 10 years ago.

"Even being robust⁷, the Guri also gets tired," said engineer Isnaldo Jimenez from the Association of Electricians and Mechanics in Carabobo state. He was talking about the high demand for electricity from the dam when other plants cannot provide enough power.

State oil company PDVSA is struggling to meet the country's fuel needs for electricity production and gasoline stations. The company also faces restrictions⁸ from the U.S. government.

But even with more fuel, plants would not operate up to their abilities because the electricity system needs $15 billion in development to overcome central problems, said Juan Carlos Rodriguez. He is with the business advice company JCR Engineers.

The system's lack of dependability has not stopped the government from increasing electricity costs for buyers.

"We cannot catch a breath," said 62-year-old vegetable seller Augusto Gonzalez in Maracaibo. "I arrive in my shop every day to try to sell something, but if power was cut in the middle of the night, we lose our produce."

Words in This Story

utilities – n. a company (such as an electric company) that provides a public service and must follow special rules made by the government

inhumane – adj. not kind or gentle to people or animals

outage – n. a period of time when there is no electricity in a building or area

unstable –adj. unpredictable, likely to change at any time

dam – n. a structure that is built across a river or stream to stop water from flowing

robust – adj. strongly formed or built

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

7 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制