Technology/News
Doubts Over Venezuela's 1300 MW Electric Grid Addition Plan
Authorities announced the incorporation of more than 1300 megawatts into the national grid by year-end 2026, yet an analysis included in the consulted report questions the real net benefit.
According to the source consulted, according to the consulted report, on September 29, 2026, Minister Rolando Alcalá and Corpoelec president Juan Crisóstomo Fernández announced the addition of more than 1300 megawatts to the Sistema Eléctrico Nacional during the final quarter of the year.
The plan includes 600 megawatts from unit 6 at Planta Centro and more than 500 megawatts from units in the Zulia region, along with other regional contributions.
The report includes analysis by a civil engineer who argues that the actual net increase would be far smaller. It attributes a 1200 megawatt loss to the failure of turbine 17 at Guri on August 30 and estimates a real net gain of only about 100 megawatts.
The report also notes that Planta Centro has never reached the announced 600 megawatts and that its previous historical peak was around 250 megawatts. It questions whether the TermoZulia contributions represent new capacity or merely recovery of earlier generation shortfalls.
The announcement comes amid protests over prolonged blackouts in multiple states and reports of worsening service reliability.
