Venezuela Restores 90% of Power After Blackout Affects 10 States

Venezuela has restored 90 percent of power knocked out by a blackout today that hit 10 states in the western part of the South American nation.

Two separate transmission failures took about 3,000 megawatts of capacity offline, and the states of Tachira, Merida, Trujillo and Barinas were "totally" affected by the blackout, Igor Gavidia, head of power transmission at the Electricity Ministry, said today on state television.

“We’re working to bring stability to the system,” Gavidia said. “Everything is practically resolved.”

A helicopter was dispatched to collect more information on the cause of the blackout that also affected the states of Zulia, Yaracuy, Portuguesa, Cojedes and Lara, Gavidia said. The Paris-based International Energy Agency said last month that increasing blackouts in Venezuela may cause oil output to decline. A blackout on April 7 struck the capital of Caracas and 15 states.

Venezuela’s largest refining center, the Paraguana complex in Falcon state, was not affected by the blackout today, an official for state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA, who isn’t authorized to speak publicly, said by telephone.