In 2013 and 2019, the government did speak of replacing electrical equipment, as Carlos Julio Rojas, coordinator of the Front in Defense of the North of Caracas, said during a protest on January 20, 2023. But in the first case, he was referring to a replacement of household appliances with high energy demand by other savers, to reduce consumption. While in 2019 the intention was to replace the equipment damaged by the blackouts in March of that year
Text: Ligia Perdomo
On January 20, a group of citizens led by Carlos Julio Rojas, coordinator of the Front in Defense of North Caracas, protested at the gates of Corpoelec, in San Bernardino, due to the constant failures in the electrical supply that have damaged electrical appliances without the government replace them.
«In 2013, Jesse Chacón himself and Nicolás Maduro talked about a plan to restore electrical appliances that were damaged by blackouts. They said it in the same way in 2019,” said Rojas. And it is true, but in the case of 2013, the replacement of household appliances –mainly air conditioners– did not refer to equipment damaged by failures caused by the interruption of electrical service or voltage fluctuations, but to devices that by design consumed too much energy, that would be replaced by others of lower consumption and of Chinese origin that were sold through the program My well-equipped house.
«Today, residents of different parishes in Caracas and different social movements decided to approach the doors of Corpoelec to make a direct claim. In 2013, Jesse Chacón himself and Nicolás Maduro talked about a restitution plan for electrical appliances that were damaged by blackouts. They said it in the same way in 2019. And this is not being applied. I want to ask the people of Caracas, the Venezuelans, if they have not gone to the Corpoelec offices, they have filed all kinds of complaints, they have gone to the Ombudsman’s Office and if any type of electrical appliance has been restored to them. Here we brought a sample of what can burn any Caracas, any Venezuelan. How much does a television cost, how much does a computer power supply cost, how much does a printer cost, how much does a refrigerator cost. Nicolás Maduro spoke that there was a budget assigned for the restitution of electrical devices and this ended in pure gamelot. That is why hpy came to the doors of Corpoelec to leave the remains of what they have left in Venezuela (…) Directly to Néstor Reverol (Minister of Electric Power) and to Nicolás Maduro to explain to the people where the budgets assigned for the restitution of electrical appliances. Where is the theme of My well-equipped house. It is said that people through Patria and VenApp (system) had to post their data and there has been no response (…)”.
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As part of the 100-day National Plan for the improvement of the National Electric System announced by the then Minister of Electric Power, Jesse Chacón, there was “the replacement of 30 million light bulbs, the replacement of inefficient equipment, air conditioning in particular, a campaign of awareness and communication aimed at Venezuelan society (..)”, said the official at a press conference on May 8, 2013 (Statement from minute 6’45” to 7’08”).
Two days earlier, President Nicolás Maduro indicated that a program should be carried out to replace incandescent light bulbs with savers and the change of old household appliances for the latest generation equipment, which saves up to 70% of electrical energy, according to the press release published by Corpoelec on May 6, 2013.
In 2019, and due to the blackout on March 7 due to a failure in the Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Power Plant (Guri), which in some states was maintained for 7 days, the national government indicated that damaged electrical appliances would be replaced through the homeland card. .
In a speech on March 23 of that year, Maduro said: “Minister Márquez, Minister of the Presidency, order that a special plan for My well-equipped house be carried out for these months to replace the equipment and electrical appliances for our people. We are going to do it as far as the resources reach us (…) through the homeland card so that it is direct, without managers, without intermediaries, direct to the home (…) Approved, then, the special plan of My well equipped house with the homeland card to replace the damages of the electric war of these terrorists”.
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Citizens who filled out the survey incorporated into the homeland system had not been called (in May 2019) for the delivery of the equipment reported as damaged, according to the Assumption denied portal.
Since 2009, Venezuela has experienced constant failures in the supply of electrical energy as a result of disinvestment and lack of maintenance that caused the first electrical emergency in February 2010, temporarily, but it was extended.
Since then and with the unification in Corpoelec of all the public companies that provided the service, the supply has been inefficient and the failures have not been overcome.
According to what was indicated by Carlos Julio Rojas on January 20, 2023, the plan to replace electrical appliances due to damage caused by blackouts has not been executed. And although the Maduro government talked about replacing electrical appliances, in 2013 the plan sought to replace those that demanded too much energy with others that saved up to 70%, in the so-called Cambalache operation, which began three years after the announcement. While in 2019, the objective was to replace the damaged devices as a result of the blackouts in March (7, 25 and 29). Therefore, the information is true, but for different reasons.
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