Electricity Rationing Returns as a Nightmare in Venezuela

Venezuela is facing a renewed electricity crisis, with severe power rationing and unscheduled blackouts returning in February 2026 after a brief period of apparent stabilization in 2025. Regions such as Zulia and Mérida are particularly affected, experiencing outages lasting up to seven hours daily. The government, led by acting president Delcy Rodríguez, attributed the strain to high temperatures and record-high electricity demand, which reached 15,570 megawatts in May, the highest level in nine years. An energy-saving plan announced in March has recently concluded, yet service interruptions persist without official schedules. This infrastructure deterioration undermines government efforts to attract foreign capital and stabilize the economy. Local businesses, especially small enterprises unable to afford alternative power systems, cite the electrical crisis as their primary concern, with significant closure rates reported in Zulia. Experts suggest that resolving the crisis requires decentralizing the grid and reactivating regional thermal power plants, specifically those in Termozulia. While negotiations with companies like Siemens and General Electric have been announced, details remain scarce, fueling public skepticism about the possibility of overcoming fifteen years of systemic decay in the national power grid.