Venezuelan gov't to revamp national electric company amid serial blackouts
Xinhua
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CARACAS, April 3 (Xinhua) - The Venezuelan government on Wednesday said it plans to restructure the National Electricity Corporation (Corpoelec) in the wake of successive nationwide blackouts that paralyzed schools and businesses.

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A resident uses light from a cellphone as he walks along a street during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela March 26, 2019. (Photo: VCG)

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said President Nicolas Maduro ordered the "intervention, restructuring and modernization" of the utility.

Earlier this week, Maduro named a new electricity minister and head of Corpoelec, Igor Gavidia, to lead efforts to restore and stabilize the national power grid following what officials say have been repeated attempts by the US-backed far-right to sabotage the system and undermine the government.

Officials are first focusing on restoring vital electricity service, and will then work on "building a new system shielded from these multiple forms of attack," said Rodriguez.

Venezuela suffered its worst blackout on March 7 when a power outage plunged most of the country in darkness for about five days, forcing officials to close schools and offices. The power outage also led to shortages of water and gas.

Since then, a series of widespread blackouts have disrupted production and daily life in the South American country.

Venezuela's opposition claims the power failures are the result of mismanagement and corruption, while the government has claimed that the outages have been deliberately caused by pro-opposition agents.