Venezuela has experienced a continuous electricity crisis, with rolling blackouts which have become progressively worse since 2010, culminating in a week-long outage over most of the country in March 2019.
The importance of reliable power for the country’s development and humanitarian services – such as hospitals and water – cannot be overstated. In light of a new Chatham House paper, supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, investigating the possibility and potential pathways for reforming the sector, this panel explores such questions as:
- The root causes of the crisis affecting the system;
- What reforms may be required in order to encourage international investment; and
- What should be prioritized in rebuilding the country’s electricity sector?
Participants
Dr Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow, US and the Americas Programme, Chatham House
Walt Patterson, Associate Fellow, Environment and Society Programme, Chatham House
Jose Aguilar, Venezuelan Energy Expert
Patricia Ventura, Director, IPD Latin America
Opening remarks: Dr Nick Norton, Senior Energy Adviser, Americas Directorate, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Chair: Dr Luisa Palacios, Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy; Adjunct Senior Research Scholar of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
