The new reasons for the fuel shortages in Venezuela, only that there are some drawbacks in the Paraguaná Refining Complex (CRP), in the center west of the country. The queues are already seen not only in the border states and other regions, but are also evident in Caracas.
(Also read: Pdvsa sinks into debt: what is the reality of the Venezuelan oil company like?
The CRP is in charge of refining part of the gasoline that arrives in the country. The magnitude of what is happening is such that some governments, such as Mérida, chose to raffle off the shifts to be able to supply the vehicles. In other words, through bingo, each driver knows which day of the week they can go to the station based on their license plate number.
This bingo is broadcast by Governor Jheyson Guzmán himself, who shouts “7 came out” or any other number. These are the last digits of the vehicle plate and this is how the day is organized for each driver.
The blows, fights and the endless hours begin to reveal once again the instability in terms of the supply and, according to local media, thehe idea of the Executive is to continue with the process of dollarization of the liter of gasoline.
Currently there are 1,603 service stations or “pumps” as they are known in Venezuela -before there were almost 2,000- of them, at least 800 will charge 0.50 dollars a liter as charged in those that have an “international price” denomination. .
The rest will continue with the liter at 0.60 bolivars or 0.024 dollarsa price that is certainly not profitable for the oil industry, but that is still difficult to pay for many Venezuelans with a salary of 5 dollars a month.
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Caracas is the last place where the crisis is felt and now that the queues are visible, there is concern, above all due to the lack of information from the State and the contradictions of its representatives.
For example, the governor of Falcón, Víctor Clark, assured that the instability would last for about three weeks, while Diosdado Cabello said that “there is nothing to worry about.”
However, drivers have already begun to worry. “I am a taxi driver. When I can I put gasoline in dollars but generally I use the subsidized and yesterday, Thursday, I queued for more than 20 minutes And reading the news I fear the crisis will start again,” Rubén Cáceres told EL TIEMPO while waiting at one of the pumps.
The CRP has a processing capacity of 310,000 barrels per day and apparently there is damage to the catalytic plant compressor. The states of Aragua, Lara, Carabobo, Falcón, Zulia, and Portuguesa present long and endless lines at the stations, some of them up to more than 5 kilometers.
“After days of absolute silence from the government and ensuring in hate programs that the shortage of gasoline “is an invention” now they recognize that they have not been able to keep the CRP catalytic plant running. Given this evidence, the question is: what happened to the Iranians, El Palito and the government’s promises? Where is Tarek El Aissami? Until when the indolence? The tails are still there showing the reality. By the way, in our administration there was never a lack of gasoline! ”, wrote the former Minister of Petroleum Rafael Ramírez, accused of corruption by the government of Nicolás Maduro.
#9June #Out of gas After days of absolute silence from the government and ensuring in hate programs that the gasoline shortage “is an invention” now they recognize that they have not been able to keep the CRP catalytic plant running. Given this evidence, the question is: what… pic.twitter.com/c4S9Z2ibl5
— Rafael Ramírez (@RRamirezVE) June 9, 2023
Petróleos de Venezuela does not finish its recovery process despite the licenses and permits issued by the United States to its oil companies. Lack of investment is one of the causes, added to corruption scandals such as the most recent called PDVSA Cripto, in which at least 23,000 million dollars disappeared.
“Vehicle users in Venezuela, get ready to pay for repairs to your gasoline pumps and injection systems. Given the cessation of operations of the Paraguaná refining complex, more gasoline is coming from Iran,” says economist Leonardo Vera.
These statements refer to the constant accusations that have been made to the quality and octane number of gasoline from Iran, whose country has provided Venezuela with the diluents and components for the production of gasoline, especially during the time when US sanctions were applied. more pressure on the Caribbean country.
“I have had to change the gasoline filter of my vehicle several times in less than a year, They tell me it’s because of the quality of the gasoline and I do it because it scares me when I hear that cars catch fire like that out of nowhere”, narrated José Prieto while waiting his turn to fill a pump in Caracas.
What Prieto narrates has to do with the constant accidents that have been reported in states like Zulia, where vehicles have ignited, causing fires and injuries.
Users expect at least an official pronouncement of what will happen in the coming days. The fear of long lines, getting up early to have supplies and exposing themselves to the dangers of waiting in the dark remain among the drivers.
ANA MARIA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
WEATHER CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS
#bingos #luck #crisis #experienced #gasoline #Venezuela