Venezuela to ration electricity for 40 days

Electricity would be rationed in the country for 40 days, starting from April 25, to preserve water levels at the Guri hydroelectrical plant, Minister of Electrical Energy Luis Motta Dominguez announced Thursday.

"This measure must be taken to preserve the water at Guri, which is low due to the severe drought caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon," said Motta Dominguez in an interview with the state-owned Venezolana de Television.

This action will see electricity cut fours hours a day in various residential complexes of the country, at different times.

Electricity cuts will either happen from 8:00 a.m. to noon, noon until 4:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., or 8:00 p.m. until midnight.

Motta Dominguez said that the precise schedules for different sectors will be published in national and regional press.

"With these hours (of power cut) a day, we will reach our target by mid-May, when the rain season should start," the minister said.

Other decisions taken in Venezuela to help save electricity was to bring clocks forward by half an hour, which began under former President Hugo Chavez, but this unpopular measure was scrapped earlier in April.

Furthermore, the government has announced that, starting April 7, all public employees would have Fridays off for 60 days to reduce energy use. Enditem