Power station blast adds to sense of chaos in Venezuela [View all]

[Ghost Dog]

Source: Associated Press

... Critical conductors had overheated at the hydroelectric station at the Guri Dam, the cornerstone of Venezuela’s electrical grid, said Winston Cabas, the head of Venezuela’s electrical engineers union, which opposes the government. He disputed government allegations that the dam was the target of sabotage and blamed the problem on a lack of maintenance as well as the departure of skilled workers from the troubled country over the years.

“The system is vulnerable, fragile and unstable,” he said.

President Nicolas Maduro has accused Guaido and the United States of staging a “cyberattack” on Venezuela’s power grid. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez earlier described it as a cyberattack on the dam’s operating system, which signals to machines whether to boost or diminish power based on capacity and demand.

The U.S. dismisses the allegation...

Read more: https://apnews.com/07e2f8abb3a64506a91d11dfd69e86cc

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AP either does not ask, for some reason, why in Sr. Cabas's opinion or according to his information did these critical conductors overheat at the hydroelectric station at the Guri Dam, the proximate cause, or for some reason fails to report the answer other than to dispute the idea that there could have been sabotage - by members of his union, for example, which opposes the government... Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez does, on the other hand, point to a credible alleged proximate cause: a cyberattack causing machines to boost power regardless of capacity or demand.

Edit: There is some further discussion on this subject at the Latin America group here.