The measures are a stark admission by the government - which blamed repeated power outages in March on sabotage - that there is not enough electricity to go around, and that the power crisis is here to stay.
CARACAS - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro announced 30 days of electricity rationing Sunday, after his government said it was shortening the working day and keeping schools closed due to blackouts.
Power failures come alongside a political showdown between Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized as interim president by the United States and more than 50 other countries.He did not detail how it would work but said there would be "an emphasis on guaranteeing water service". A "brain drain" of qualified personnel has also hit the industry, with about 25,000 people in the electricity sector among the 2.7 million Venezuelans who have emigrated since 2015.Earlier on Sunday, authorities announced other measures as a result of the electricity shortage.
"We fill up from a well near here but we don't know if its drinkable. But we're using it," said Erimar Vale, a resident of the capital.Opposition leader Guaido asked people to protest each time there was a blackout. The Guri plant, however, was already showing signs of trouble: back in 2010, then-president Hugo Chavez said electricity would be rationed in some Venezuelan states because water was low at the Guri dam due to a drought.
Another problem was the "de-professionalization" of the sector, when Chavez nationalized the privately-run power company in 2007, in which pro-government loyalists took positions as managers and engineers.Demonstrations by Venezuelans angry about the blackouts broke out Sunday in Caracas.
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