Enrique Ferreira, a doctor and leader of Vente Venezuela in the state of Lara, reported this Monday that Venezuela is experiencing power outages lasting between 36 and 72 hours, similar to those suffered by Cuba, even though the Caribbean country has the largest oil reserves in the world.
Ferreira said this in an interview with the program Transición en Cuba, hours after being with María Corina Machado at the Sanctuary of the Divine Shepherdess in Barquisimeto, where the opposition leader made her first public appearance after returning to Venezuela on Sunday, following nearly ten months away from the country.
The interview itself illustrated the seriousness of the situation. Ferreira connected from his own power plant because there was no electricity in his area at that moment. "I have power from a generator because right now where I am in the sector there is no electricity, as always. It's a tragedy in Venezuela," he stated.
When asked by the interviewer Tania Costa if power outages continued, Ferreira was direct. "Do the power outages continue in Venezuela? Of course, 36, 72 hours. This is a tragedy."
Costa highlighted the paradox before the audience: Venezuela, with its vast oil wealth, experiences outages as long as those in Cuba. Ferreira confirmed this bluntly. The opposition leader described the human impact of the crisis in stark terms. "We have a tired, overwhelmed country, a destroyed nation, a human being, a mother, a father, a child who are without electricity until 2 or 3 in the morning and have to wake up at 6 in the morning to go to school or to work."
Additionally, schools are also affected by the power outages, forcing children to return home without having had the opportunity to attend classes.
Ferreira pointed out that the situation has reached a point where having your own generator is practically a requirement when acquiring or renting a home. "Nowadays, it's almost a state law that if you buy an apartment or a house, one of the demands is that you have a power generator to ensure you have electricity."
The data supports his testimony. According to a report from ANOVA Policy Research from October 2026, 62.8% of Venezuelan households experienced daily power outages throughout the year. In Táchira, outages accumulated between 34 and 58 hours weekly; in Zulia, up to 12 hours daily. The electricity crisis in Venezuela has become a productive threat, with the industry losing 44% of its working hours in the second quarter of the year, according to Conindustria data cited by Ecoanalítica.
Cuba is simultaneously facing its own energy emergency. This Monday, the Electric Union reported only 1,030 MW available against a demand of 2,900 MW, leaving more than 64% of the demand unmet. In Contramaestre, Santiago de Cuba, residents reported power outages of up to 40 hours at the end of last week.
Ferreira, who was the head of the campaign command for Machado and later for Edmundo González Urrutia in Lara during the 2024 presidential elections, was detained by the Chavista regime for approximately seven months—between July 2025 and February 2026—accused of incitement to hatred and conspiracy to commit a crime. His release was confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, a country of which he also holds nationality.
Despite the bleak energy outlook, Ferreira concluded with a message of resilience: "Venezuela is without power, but Venezuelans are not powerless. We move forward with strength and determination because we will overcome this struggle."
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