Venezuela Says Zulia Turbine Is Due on Grid in 72 Hours
ENERGY · VENEZUELA
Key Facts
- —The country Venezuela, where acting president Delcy Rodríguez governs a grid in decline for over a decade. Zulia, the western oil state around Maracaibo, is among the regions hit hardest by rationing.
- —What happened Unit TZ07 at the Termozulia power complex began its slow-spin start-up, officials said on 1 October. They expect it on the national grid within 72 hours.
- —The numbers TZ07 should add 150 megawatts, Zulia’s governor said on 28 September. The business federation Fedecámaras put Zulia’s demand at 2,700 megawatts and its deficit at 500 to 600 (29 September).
- —What it means for you In Maracaibo, residents report two cuts a day, up to 12 hours in total. Expect night protests at utility offices and town halls to continue.
- —Still open Whether TZ07 passes its load tests on time, whether enough gas reaches the plant, and when rationing in Zulia eases.
Zulia power supply could gain a turbine within days, Venezuelan officials said on 1 October. Unit TZ07 at the Termozulia complex near Maracaibo began its slow-spin start-up and is due on the grid within 72 hours.
The same night, protesters in Maracaibo found the office of the state utility, Corpoelec, without electricity itself. The gap between promises and daily life is what keeps people on the streets.
A turbine in its test phase
Juan José Ramírez, the government’s vice-president for public works and services, announced the start-up from the plant. “TZ07 has just begun its slow spin,” he said in a video, adding it should be synchronised to the national grid within 72 hours.
Slow spin is the first stage before a thermal unit carries load. Officials told the university radio of Carabobo that final connection depends on how the machine behaves in its initial load tests.
Zulia governor Luis Caldera said on 28 September that TZ07 should add 150 megawatts, La Verdad reported. He listed 130 more from unit TZ02, 150 from TZ05 and 90 from four smaller turbines, about 520 in all.
A fifth unit, TZ01, is already generating 130 megawatts, Caldera said. He added that its spare parts were imported from the United States.
How big the Zulia gap is
The regional business federation Fedecámaras said on 29 September that Zulia’s demand had reached 2,700 megawatts. It put the shortfall at 500 to 600 megawatts, El Nacional reported.
Fedecámaras said an overvoltage on 23 September knocked three Termozulia machines out of service. Authorities told it they hope to cut the deficit to about 150 megawatts in October, with all units running by late November.
That target is national as well as regional. Electricity minister Rolando Alcalá has promised 1,300 megawatts of new supply by December, Efecto Cocuyo reported.
His plan includes a 600-megawatt unit at Planta Centro in Carabobo state, the main plant for central Venezuela. It also counts seven Zulia units worth 500 megawatts.
Protesters find the utility in the dark
On the night of 1 October, residents protested outside the Corpoelec office in the Amparo district of Maracaibo, El Pitazo reported. The building was itself without power, and the National Guard posted a detail there.
“They are cuts twice a day, of six to eight hours,” protester Brenner Barrios told the outlet. El Pitazo counted night protests in six states that evening, including Zulia, Sucre and Carabobo.
The wider wave began in late September, as covered in Venezuela Night Protests Over Power Cuts Spread to Mérida, Anzoátegui and Guárico. The national picture is set out in Venezuela Power Deficit Near 3,000 MW Amid Protests.
What the plan depends on
Termozulia has installed capacity close to 1,200 megawatts, plant officials said on 28 September, Noticia al Día reported. They aim to add 480 to 500 megawatts between October and November.
They made that conditional on technical schedules and on gas being available to run the units. Authorities are also studying a cooling system worth another 150 megawatts, Fedecámaras said.
If the units do arrive, Zulia power supply would recover most of what the 23 September failure removed. That would ease, but not end, the rationing.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not yet known whether TZ07 has been synchronised, or how much it will deliver in practice. The government publishes no grid data, so output figures come from officials and business groups.
It is also unclear when Corpoelec will publish a new rationing schedule for Zulia. Protesters in Maracaibo reject what they call double rationing.
Sources: La Verdad (Maracaibo), 28 September and 1 October 2026; Efecto Cocuyo, 1 October 2026; Universidad de Carabobo radio, 1 October 2026; El Nacional citing Fedecámaras, 30 September 2026; Noticia al Día, 28 September 2026; El Pitazo, 2 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief