Venezuela Aims to Prevent Future Electricity Crisis as it Recuperates from Current Shortage

[Peace Patriot]

Venezuela Aims to Prevent Future Electricity Crisis as it Recuperates from Current Shortage

By JAMES SUGGETT- VENEZUELANALYSIS.COM

Mérida, April 9th 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – As Venezuela shows signs of recovery from a severe electricity shortage, the government extended its declared state of electricity emergency for another 60 days, saying the crisis will not be over until electricity production has fully recuperated and the nation is “shielded” against future climatic or other threats to its power supply.

“The declaration of an electricity emergency has been extended in Venezuela in order to continue defeating the crisis that we are living in the country,” President Hugo Chavez announced on Thursday, at the recommendation of Electricity Minister Ali Rodriguez. “We are going to protect not only Caracas, but the whole country with a new national system,” he said.

The government plans to invest an additional $5 billion in new thermoelectric plants across the nation, with the goal that thermoelectricity will account for half the nation’s power by the year 2015.

(MORE)

http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5263

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Some interesting items from further down in the article...

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The power supply increased over the past decade at double the rate of the 1990s, but continues to fall short of demand, which has increased by more than 40%, or 5,000 megawatts, fueled by five consecutive years of economic growth.

At least ten more thermoelectric plants are scheduled to begin operating in the next two months, including a floating thermoelectric barge on Lake Maracaibo.

In addition, two large plants that were purchased for $600 million from the U.S. company General Electric are expected to power Venezuela’s largest steel plant with 880 megawatts. The plant, SIDOR, which was nationalized two years ago, saw a 60% reduction in production several months ago at the height of Venezuela’s energy crisis.

Also, the state oil company, PDVSA, is constructing a wind power park near the northwestern coastline that is projected to produce 100 megawatts.

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I gotta laugh at the hysterical fascists who try to use Venezuela's electricity crisis to beat up on the Chavez government. They're so desperate, after 10 years of increasing margins of victory for the Chavez government, in honest, transparent elections, that they will use ANYTHING--even an energy crisis largely caused by Mother Nature and exacerbated by, ahem, sizzling economic growth--to move on from the lie that "Chavez is a dictator" to the lie that "Chavez is incompetent."

They also got their panties in a twist over Chavez bringing in a Cuban energy expert. That expert OBVIOUSLY knows what he's doing and is pushing diversification of the electricity infrastructure--the exactly right solution. And the Chavez government is proceeding with their new electricity plan at a rapid pace, even calling upon U.S. expertise (the GE power plants for the steel industry) in an eclectic effort to solve the problem.

Governments often face such challenges. The main issue in judging them as competent governments is how they RESPOND to whatever Nature or other forces present them with, as problems to be solved. The Chavez government has proven to be competent, and, in some cases, very competent, at solving big problems--whether they be illiteracy and poverty induced by previous, rightwing government neglect and malfeasance, or outright fascist hostility and aggression, such as the oil bosses' "strike" of 2003. One of their key accomplishments--re-negotiation of the oil contracts with the multinationals, to give Venezuela a much better deal--took strength and courage and great skill. They are very good at solving problems. Street crime and Venezuelans' love of guns is still a problem. (Cue rightwing hysterics!) One of the Chavez government's responses, on that issue, is creation of a new police academy to instill professionalism in the country's police forces. Maybe not enough, but certainly evidence of long term thinking.

The FACT that Venezuela is quite stable, and the FACT that the Chavez government, on objective criteria and in the opinion of the vast majority of Venezuelan voters, is quite competent and sometimes excellent, will never be acknowledged by our corpo-fascist press, nor by the fascists, rightwingers and corporatists who HATE universal free medical care and other improvements in the lives of the poor majority in Venezuela, and who, in truth, hate democracy itself.

[naaman fletcher]

1. Do you agree with Venezuelaanalysis.com..

That anyone in the US who said that the president was in the drug business would be arrested? That was Venezuelaanalysis.com's defense of Chavez over one of the political prisoners.

[Meshuga]

2. The OPer does not trust the corporate media

And I don't trust the corporate media either given their "lazy" and convenient reporting. But it amazes me that biased sources that are favorable to his/her point of view are not questioned for its own attempts to connect the dots so close to sell a put together context.

Don't get me wrong, there are sites that I see their bias but still read/watch their material because they say a lot of truth as well. For example, I love therealnews.com website and enjoy their reporting (which is very progressive) even when I see their flaws and their bias in some stories that a North American public would swallow even when the reality is questionable. I mean, the reports about the region are analysed with American goggles and with some dots being connected really closely to sell a point of view but it does not mean the other material is good and informative.

[Wilms]

3. I happen to think they got that wrong. OK?

You're off topic with specific aim of rant. :puke:

Meanwhile, many of us are capable of considering what was said, by whom, the context, and the (coup) history in VZ.

[naaman fletcher]

4. Thank you...

I respect your position. The reason that I asked is that whereas you and I can admire or support a politician despite some flaws, some people here seem unwilling to ever admit that there might be even the slightest problem with the leaders that they support.

[protocol rv]

9. When the lights go out today

The coup history of Venezuela is ancient history. There were two coup atempts, both failed. One was led by Chavez and caused quite a few deaths. Another was led by nobody in particular I know of, and it led to less deaths. So that's the coup history of Venezuela in a nutshell, and it has nothing to do with the lack of electricity.

[Peace Patriot]

5. No, actually, I don't agree with it, on the basis of the facts presented by the writer, Eva Golinger

(Venezuelanalysis.com presents the views of a variety of authors. It does not have an editorial position.)

I presume that the item you are referring to is this:

"...Venezuelan Oswaldo Alvarez Paz, an ex governor of the State of Zulia who was arrested and charged with 'public instigation of criminality' and 'spreading false information' two weeks ago. Alvarez Paz, who participated in the April 2002 coup d’etat against the Venezuelan government and has consistently promoted publicly the violent overthrow of the Chavez administration, stated on live television that the Venezuelan government was supporting terrorist groups and facilitating drug trafficking. In the context of his statements, Alvarez Paz was supporting allegations from a Spanish court and several right-wing international organizations that were calling for international condemnation of the Venezuelan government.--Eva Golinger

Golinger's arguments that this arrest was consistent with free speech rights seem weak to me, mainly because, the way the case is presented in this article, he seems to have been arrested for the terrorist/drug accusations against the government, not specifically for his calls for violent overthrow of the government. As to the latter, she is perfectly correct--advocating violent overthrow of the government is not protected speech, anywhere. But accusing the government of crimes or malfeasance?

Here's how she argues it:

Those defending Alvarez Paz shield themselves behind concepts of freedom of expression. But are citizens free to go on live national television and accuse the president of a nation of drug trafficking and terrorism without presenting any evidence? Would that happen in any other country without consequence? Imagine a former governor in the United States going live on NBC news and accusing President Barack Obama of terrorism and drug trafficking with no evidence to back such dangerous claims. The individual would be immediately arrested by Secret Service and prosecuted to the full extent of the law for not only spreading false information, but also for endangering the life and image of the US presidency. --Eva Golinger

Neither these, nor her national security argument, seem right to me, on the facts as presented. Certain "tea baggers" and other extremists would be in jail in the U.S. if these criteria were followed. (But I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI/Homeland Security were watching these rightwing nutters rather closely.)

I don't know if Golinger is presenting the case accurately, so I can't really judge whether it was fair or not. As I said, on the face of it, I don't agree with the arrest.

So what?

What does this have to do with the Chavez government's energy policy?

What does this have to do with ANYTHING in the article, or in what I said about the article?

What does President Obama's ordering of the deaths of hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan have to do with his health bill? I suppose I could make broad arguments about humongous military expenditures and corporate rule but, really, it would be a stretch to connect the two, in any direct or specific way, just as it makes no sense to connect one possibly unjust arrest with...Venezuela's electricity problem?

You want us to think that the Chavez government is...what? Incompetent? Dictatorial? Bad?

The Chavez government suffered a direct, violent, U.S.-backed, military coup d'etat in 2002, of which this arrestee was a direct participant. The first act of that coup was to suspend the Constitution, the National Assembly, the courts and all civil rights. Then they started sending rightwing mobs to the homes and offices of the members of Chavez's government--based on lists provided by RCTV--to beat up and arrest them, and very likely to 'disappear' some of them. That could make a government just a bit touchy about further plots and coup plotters. Remember the Oregon attorney who was arrested and held incognito by the FBI based on false evidence of his participation in the Spanish train bombing? A bit touchy, right?

One wrongful arrest--if it was wrongful--is evidence of...what? It is evidence of a worried government, which has plenty to be worried about, with 13 U.S. military bases now surrounding its oil coast and its northern oil provinces (where rightwing politicians have openly talked of secession). And they are not the only ones concerned about U.S. intervention.

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FYI...

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Statement of British Venezuela Solidarity Committee 4/9/10:

"We stand opposed to the increasing US militarization of the region that is threatening to destabilise Latin America. This militarization - including plans by the US to build new bases in Colombia and Panama - is especially concerning given the context of the recent right-wing coup in Honduras and the discovery of similar plots in Ecuador and Paraguay.

Concern over these developments is particularly grave in Venezuela, where in recent years progressive government policies have transformed the lives of millions for the better. Having already experienced a coup attempt in 2002, the country is now surrounded by 13 US military bases.

We are therefore supporting the 'Venezuela Under Threat' initiative to urge that national sovereignty is respected and the tragic mistakes of US-backed bloody military coups and interventions in the 20th Century are not repeated.

"Yours,

Diane Abbott MP

Dave Anderson MP

Tony Benn

Colin Burgon MP, Chair, Labour Friends of Venezuela

Michael Connarty MP

Frank Cook MP

Jeremy Corbyn MP

Ian Davidson MP

Jeff Ennis MP

Paul Flynn MP

George Galloway MP

Neil Gerrard MP

Baroness Anne Gibson, Chair, APPG on Latin America

Dai Havard MP

Jamie Hepburn MSP

Sir Gerald Kaufman MP

Jean Lambert MEP

David Lepper MP

Ken Livingstone

Angus Macneil MP

Doug Naysmith MP

Adam Price MP

Lord Nick Rea

Terry Rooney MP

Elaine Smith MSP

Emily Thornberry MP

Bill Wilson MSP

Richard Younger-Ross MP

Cllr Salma Yaqoob

Iain Bruce, Former BBC Correspondent in Caracas

Professor Mike Cole

Dr Ken Cole, Metropolitan University of London

Professor Mary Davis

Michael Derham , University of Northumbria

Dr Francisco Dominguez, Head of Latin American & Brazilian Studies, Middlesex University

Keith Ewing, Kings College London

Ernesto Laclau

Ken Loach

Lowkey

Dr Steve Ludlam

Hazel Marsh, University of East Anglia

Jon McClure, Musician, Reverend and the Makers

Hugh O'Shaughnessy

John Pilger

Diana Raby

Jonathan Rosenhead, Emeritus Professor. LSE

Derek Simpson, Joint General Secretary, Unite the Union

Tony Woodley, Joint General Secretary, Unite the Union

Biily Hayes, General Secretary, CWU

Bob Crow, General Secretary, RMT

Matt Wrack, General Secretary, FBU

Joe Marino, General Secretary, BFAWU

Keith Norman, General Secretary, ASLEF

Jonathan Ledger, General Secretary, NAPO

Chris Kitchen, General Secretary, National Union of Mineworkers

Bill Adams, Regional Secretary, Yorkshire & the Humber TUC

Dave Auger, Regional International Officer, West Midlands UNISON

Andy Bain, President, TSSA

Sue Bigg, NUT

Maggie Bowden, General Secretary, Liberation

Jennie Bremner, Chair, Venezuela Solidarity Campaign

Steve Cottingham. Partner, OH Parsons

Luke Crawley, Assistant General Secretary, BECTU

John Duffy, Regional Secretary. FBU Scotland

Lindsey German, Convenor Stop the War Coalition

Moz Greenshields, NEC UNISON

Bill Greenshields, Ex President, NUT

John Haylett, Political Editor, Morning Star

John Hilary, Executive Director, War on Want

Kate Hudson, Chair CND

Stephen Kavalier, Chief Executive, Thompsons Solicitors

Bruce Kent

Mike Kirby, Convenor, UNISON Scotland

Ian Lavery, President NUM

Phil McGarry, RMT Scotland

Karen Mitchell, Thompsons Solicitors

Fidel Narvaez, Ecuadorean Human Rights Activist in Britain

Doug Nicholls, National Officer, Community, Youth & Not For Profit Sector, Unite

Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy, Black Students’ Officer, National Union of Students

Mick Shaw, President, FBU

Cat Smith, Vice Chair, London Young Labour

Cath Speight, Labour Party NEC

Sam Tarry, Chair, Young Labour

Derek Wall, Former Principle Male Speaker, Green Party

Chris Weldon, Labour Party NEC

The Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign"

http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5262

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My point in this post is that the Chavez government has exhibited responsibility, competence, difficult problem-solving, and many other aspects of good government, which are NEVER reported in the corpo-fascist press and NEVER acknowledged by the U.S. State Department, while rightwing DUers like you abet this propaganda by constantly harping on the FEW things that the Chavez government has failed at or gotten wrong. They have reduced poverty by half and extreme poverty by 70%. Does that mean NOTHING to you? They run HONEST, TRANSPARENT elections--on the face of the facts about Venezuela's election system, and in the unanimous opinion of all the major election monitoring groups--the Carter Center, the OAS and the EU. Does that mean NOTHING? And after the coup attempt in 2002, and just after the oil bosses' strike in 2003, and during the USAID-funded recall election in 2004, they generated a period of astonishing economic growth (2003-2008), with the most growth in the private sector (not including oil), and ended up with high cash reserves, good credit, low unemployment and eight new oil contracts from as many countries, on Venezuela's terms, giving Venezuela and its social programs a much better deal. Is this not ALSO noteworthy about the Chavez government? They have had continual approval ratings in the 60% range for ten years. Is that not amazing--given what a shit government they are, according to you and the CIA?

[protocol rv]

6. Sorry, but it's kind of late now

The emergency declaration was extended because the Guri dam levels continue to fall. Chavez' popularity is dropping, and the economy has been dealt a blow by the scheduled and unschedule power blackouts - which continue.

The economy did grow quite a bit - due to the enormous rise in the oil prices. Every venezuela knows, ahem, that in Venezuela we do well when prices ahem quadruple. And the price increase is largely due to tbe development of the capitalist societies, including the evolution of China and India away from, ahem, socialism/communism.

The main issue we judge the government isn't on response. Sorry, but you can't really tell us how we react when the government delivers lousy service. I don't want them to respond when I point out the garbage hasn't been picked up in two weeks. I want the garbage picked up.

So, check the polls. Chavez is reportedly doing really bad now, compared to what he had say two years ago, when the oil prices hit record levels. This is an overview in Spanish from the latest poll data

89,4% doesn't approve of the President's work to fight crime, 84,9% doesn't approve of his work on the electricity crisis, 80,5% doesn't approve his actions to fight corruption, and 72,8% doesn't approve of his actions to fight unemployment. You see, we don't really think the way you think we do. Or as they say, you don't know what you don't know :-)

http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/04/11/opi_art_incomodando-lineal_1822918.shtml

[Judi Lynn]

7. Very ambitious goal, and they will succeed.

Will reread this material later today.

Recommending.

Thank you.

[protocol rv]

8. Judi, would you define success?

For example is success having GDP fall less than 2 % and keeping inflation below 20 %? Or do you think they can say success is having GDP drop say 4 % and keep inflation below 30 %?

Or does success mean having PDVSA reach the production level predicted in the Siembra Petrolera plan? Or the revised PDVSA plan published last year? Or does it mean increasing natural gas production so we can stop import from Colombia? What is sucess to you? Other than hanging on to power?