Venezuela announces nationwide energy rationing

[demoleft]

Source: ap

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela's government imposed rolling blackouts of four hours every other day throughout the country on Tuesday to combat an energy crisis.

President Hugo Chavez has said rationing is necessary to prevent water levels in Guri Dam — the cornerstone of Venezuela's energy system — from falling to critical lows and causing a widespread power collapse. Drought has cut the flow of water into the dam, which feeds three hydroelectric plants that supply 73 percent of Venezuela's electricity.

Rolling blackouts will begin in the capital of Caracas on Wednesday, said Javier Alvarado, president of the city's state electric utility.

"With these measures, we're trying to keep Guri from taking us to a very critical situation at the end of February, from creating let's say a total shutdown of the country," Electricity Minister Angel Rodriguez told state television Monday night as he announced the nationwide rationing plan.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100112/ap_on_bi_ge/lt_venezuela_energy_rationing

[DJ13]

1. You would think with all that oil they would have oil power generation as a backup

[naaman fletcher]

18. WTF?

Nobody has said yet "But the U.S...."

[DJ13]

35. Huh?

I meant that an oil rich country should have oil powered generation plants as back ups.

Is that really not common sense?

[Demeter]

46. If You Don't Mind Burning Up Your National Income

Oil is an output, not an input, in Venezuela.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Power blackouts or media blackouts?

:shrug:

[Judi Lynn]

5. We can only admire the way their right-wing media completely lied to the people

about all aspects of their coup, and kept them totally in the dark concerning the fact there was a massive reaction in the streets anyway, because, even though it took a long time for the word to get out, people were marching to Milflores to protest loudly until they put him right back where he was elected to be. They had hoped to be able to pull off their coup without no one else knowing about it until everything was in place and they were powerless to do anything about it, just the way it worked later, in Honduras, after coup plotters learned from the failed Venezuelan experience and kidnapped the President while he was asleep in bed.

Days of absolutely SILENCE while the media whore broadcasters played reruns of old movies and cartoons, as the President was being kept hostage, taken by gunpoint, and Venezuelas "news" sources claimed he had retired, and they had the letter to prove it (a lie, of course) and _{George W. Bush's} official spokes-eel, Ari Fleischer, told his own country first Chavez had resigned, and later he had it coming to him.

http://images.salon.com.nyud.net:8090/news/feature/2005/03/14/fleischer/story.jpg http://www.oceanbrite.com.nyud.net:8090/gallery/d/1069-3/Moray+Eel.jpg

Ari, Moray

[WriteDown]

6. Is that a response to the OP?

As long as people are able to get their TV's in time then everything will be alright.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4221897

Of course they'll be able to watch them much less.

[ChangoLoa]

8. Right on topic, as usual

[RedCloud]

3. Not everything perfect in Venezuela. Spread the news!

[Demeter]

4. Let's See, Venezuela Develops and Implements a Rational, Fair Scheme

to deal with a crisis, and it's WRONG?

On edit:

Well, it's certainly not the AMERICAN way!

[fascisthunter]

7. that's How Fascist Some Are... utilizing a Government to ration energy

oh my oh my....

[slackmaster]

21. I hate to paraphrase Rush Limbaugh, but in this case he's right

Socialism is good at rationing misery, at spreading it around evenly so it's "fair" to everyone.

[bemildred]

25. Yep, you really need capitalism to slather the misery on everyone randomly. nt

[slackmaster]

27. I seriously think socialism can work

Just not the way Hugo Chavez is doing it.

[bemildred]

30. Theoretical economic ownership structures are not what matters.

What matters is who controls things and whether they are accountable for corruption and incompetence or not.

[bitchkitty]

56. Oh, for Christ's sake

So tired of reading these sweeping, STUPID fucking statements and misinformation about Socialism here, on a supposedly progressive message board.

It's like going to the club to hear music, and instead the evening's entertainment is a right wing preacher - what are all the right wing preachers doing on DU?

[ChangoLoa]

9. What is the reason for this crisis?

El Niño? It happens every 10 years. Very predictable

[unkachuck]

33. Hugo's got to do, what Venezuela's got to do....

"Drought has cut the flow of water into the dam, which feeds three hydroelectric plants that supply 73 percent of Venezuela's electricity."

....better to cut everyone back a little on electricity than to start building toxic-waste-belching, air-polluting, fossil-fuel-fired power plants....my lungs certainly appreciate a cleaner planet....

[ChangoLoa]

55. Your lungs wouldn't appreciate

factories running on diesel power plants instead of 2 new central gas power plants which will be made anyway. Just a bit late for this El Niño. You understand that this is a constant rolling 4 hour total blackout (excepting subway, public institutions, hospitals and media) happening every two days in each district of the capital city where 1/6 of the population lives and which, by the way, is the less-affected area in the whole country. It's becoming a big problem in Venezuela, economically and politically, believe me. We should have developed alternatives to hydroelectricity. Some don't pollute and you know it. No need for toxic-waste-belching, air-polluting, fossil-fuel-fired power plants...

El Niño is still a very predictable event, it happens at least once in a decade.

[SkyDaddy7]

10. Wonder if America will be blamed?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

42. You know well the answer to that one

[bemildred]

11. An idea whose time has come.

It is time to end "as much as you want whenever you want" energy utilities. People need to think about it when they use power.

[WriteDown]

12. As you post on the internet....

:rofl:

[bemildred]

13. So you oppose energy limits?

Balls out all the way?

[WriteDown]

14. People who call for limits should lead by example...

Although they never seem to want to do that.

[bemildred]

15. You don't know shit about my energy usage.

Even if you did, your argument would still be bullshit, one can advocate for public policy without pretending one makes it oneself. For example, I can favor choice without getting an abortion myself, I can favor election reform without refusing to vote.

[WriteDown]

16. And you can continue to use energy by posting.

Good to know.

[bemildred]

17. Reiterating a stupid argument will not somehow make it a smart one.

Rationing and regulation are not prohibition. Even someone as stupid as you appear to be ought to be able to see that one can favor energy rationing without refusing to use electricity.

[WriteDown]

22. You remind me of the people with 2 or 3 kids who promote population control.

Please keep posting.

[bemildred]

24. You remind me of an enraged nitwit.

:popcorn:

[WriteDown]

39. Sorry I don't do name calling...

Now all you need to do is cite the Nazis or Hitler.

[bemildred]

40. Well, it's good to know there are some limits you approve of. nt

[Demeter]

47. I Have This Nitwit on Ignore, and Probably Have For Some Time

but I'll admit, your one side of the conversation is entertaining!

[bemildred]

49. One has to amuse oneself somehow these days.

:hi:

[WriteDown]

51. I don't do ignore either....

I'll at least hear others viewpoints. The "ignore" feature is for the closeminded.

[Jax]

45. still with the upside down similes and the all CAP crap posts? pathetic and busted

READ MORE POST LESS YOU ARE TRANSPARENT AND OBVIOUS

ugh, so stoopid...

WriteDown = stoopid and transparent.

[WriteDown]

52. I bow to your eloquence and salient post....

:rofl:

[coyote]

48. You are knocking him....

because of his energy usage to post on a forum board.

Are you for real?

So what do you want him to do...go out with a sign that says he saves energy by not posting on the internet.....this is you idea of leading by example for energy reform?

Get a life.

Oh, and here is a token smiley for you: :rofl:

[WriteDown]

53. So that energy usage is good energy usage?

But Venezuelans not being able to use A/C or a dialysis machine 4 hours a day is bad usage. Interesting.

[anigbrowl]

19. No it isn't.

Turning the power off three times a week is not going to lift people out of poverty. There's a big difference between being wasteful of energy, and being too disorganized to supply it properly.

[bemildred]

23. Turning the power off three times a week is not SUPPOSED to lift people out of poverty.

It's supposed to conserve power. It is always prudent to conserve limited resources. If you want to lift people out of poverty you give them education and gainful employment.

[slackmaster]

26. "Limited resources"?!?!?

They can keep the gasoline tanks full at your neighborhood Citgo mini-mart in the USA but can't keep their own peoples' lights on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Venezuela

[bemildred]

28. You have heard of "Peak Oil" right?

You know for example that Yemen and Mexico are in deep trouble because they are running out of hydrocarbons to export? So you want Venezuela to be profligate like them? Prudent management is the key to Venezuela's long term prospertity and success as a nation. The last thing they would want to do is emulate the happy-go-lucky example of the USA and similar mismanaged countries.

[slackmaster]

29. Nice attempt at distraction

Venezuela has plenty of oil to export and to serve its people for decades, and they're not able to keep the lights on RIGHT NOW.

[bemildred]

32. Thread hijacking I will admit to, distraction I will not.

I have been talking about the same thing right along, and I am not in fact obligated to talk about whatever you want to go on about, i.e. the fact that Chavez' government does not yet produce unlimited energy for everyone always.

[slackmaster]

34. That's a classic Straw Man

I'm not saying they should be able to produce unlimited energy. They should be able to produce sufficient energy so that people can keep running their lights and computers and dialysis machines.

[bemildred]

36. It is hyperbole, not a straw man.

Do you have some support for the notion that dialysis machines will be cut off, or are you using "straw men" too?

[bemildred]

37. Here, from the story:

Alvarado said the Caracas subway, hospitals, media outlets and public institutions that tend to the public would not be affected.

[slackmaster]

41. Are you absolutely certain that nobody in Venezuela has dialysis at home?

:hi:

[bemildred]

50. Nope.

There is always that risk. And we all know Hugo would not give a crap about those poor sick people.
:hi:

[Jax]

43. bemildred, thank you

a long time DU voice of universal reason.

Thank you!

[slackmaster]

20. One of the greatest per capita oil and gas producing nations in the world, rationing electricity

What's wrong with this picture?

Maybe Hugo should nationalize the utilities.

Oh, wait...

[AlienGirl]

31. Also a government with close ties to Iran...

My tinfoily side wonders whether Venezuela knows something about future availability of oil that they are trying to prepare for? :tinfoilhat:

Tucker

[unkachuck]

38. "Also a government with close ties to Iran..."

....maybe Hugo will ask Iran about their uranium enrichment technology and Russia for nuclear engineering assistances so Venezuela can develop their own nuclear power stations....

[boppers]

44. Hey, if they run them as well as their hydro and gas..

..it'll be decades before they're marginally effective, because, of course, the capitalist oligarchy is conspiring to make them mis-manage their resources.

[WriteDown]

54. I think you mean Coke Zero. nt

[demoleft]

57. NEWS, jan 14: Chavez halts energy rationing in Venezuela's capital

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has reversed his decision to ration electricity in Caracas a day after nationwide power cuts were announced.

Mr Chavez said there had been mistakes in introducing rolling blackouts in the capital, and people did not know when their neighbourhoods would be affected.

Venezuela has been hit by unplanned power cuts which the government blames on a drought hitting hydro-electricity.

The opposition accuse the government of failing to invest in infrastructure.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8458482.stm

[robcon]

58. Chavez is dissembling... again.

n/t