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Here’s why Venezuela’s partial blackouts are unfortunately likely to persist for a while
[Anatoly Kurmanaev at Thread Reader] This is Venezuela’s main power distribution hub, the San Geronimo B substation outside Valle de la Pascua on Sunday. It was shut since Thursday. A cow roamed among transformers. No buzz from current. Workers said most of them were sent home indefinitely Friday.

San Geronimo B is the only path for high-voltage (765 KV) supplies from Guri to 80% of Venezuelan population (Caracas, Central & Western Venezuela)

The nearby San Geronimo A back up substation transmits much weaker 400 current from Macagua hydro plant near Guri to Caracas vía Santa Teresa. It’s been working on & off last 2 days. This, together with some limited thermal, is what’s been keeping intermittent light in Caracas.

Corpoelec current, former employees & power expert @SoyJoseAguilar said this is unsustainable. The 400 KV line is too weak. Caracas outgrew is capacity already in early 80s when it launched Metro.
Is it possible to provide stable supply to the country without San Geronimo B? “Impossible,” said @SoyJoseAguilar
The La Horqueta substation in Villa de Cura, which sends Guri’s power to Valencia and onwards west via San Geronimo was also down Sunday. This is very bad news for Western Venezuela. They are last in line.
Emphasis added.

My apologies for accidentally deleting the content of this article. I’ve sent Besoeker a note, so hopefully he’ll be able to reconstitute it before the rollover.

— trailing wife at 9:50 p.m. ET

Update at 10:40 pm: Fixed except for Besoeker’s image. Whew! My apologies again.

Posted by: 2019-03-12
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=536320