CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela says it will cut power nationwide for four hours each day as it struggles to provide electricity amid a drought.
Electricity Minister Luis Motta said Thursday that the rationing will start next week. He says it will last for 40 days or until water levels stabilize at the Guri Dam that provides most of the South American country’s electricity.
The daily power cut is the latest energy-saving measure taken recently by the government. President Nicolás Maduro has also given public workers Fridays off, declared new national holidays and said he will shift the country’s time zone to help save power.
Maduro’s socialist administration blames the crisis on a drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon. Experts say a lack of investment in infrastructure is also to blame.
