Venezuela darkened by power outages

CAGUA, Venezuela — Blessed with huge oil and natural gas reserves as well as massive rivers that power hydroelectric dams, Venezuela is energy rich. So why do the lights keep going out?

In 21 of the country’s 24 states, blackouts and power rationing are keeping thousands of businesses, schools, hospitals and neighborhoods in the dark.

Besides dragging down the economy, the energy deficit has become a political problem for President Hugo Chavez, who plans to run for another six-year term in 2012 but whose government has been unable to solve the problem.

“This is a crisis that an energy-rich nation should not have,” said Jose Manuel Aller, an electricity expert and professor at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas.
The power cuts are endemic in places like Cagua, an industrial city just west of Caracas.