# [24H] Venezuela Publicly Reassures Oil Buyers as Power-Grid Strain Raises Blackout Fears

*Issued Friday, September 25, 2026 at 7:13 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Issued**: 2026-09-25T07:13:33.624Z (2h ago)
**Expires**: 2026-09-26T07:13:33.624Z (22h from now)
**Category**: GEOPOLITICAL | **Confidence**: 70% | **Impact**: MEDIUM
**Risk Direction**: volatile
**Affected Regions**: Venezuela, Caribbean basin, United States Gulf Coast, China and India (as crude buyers)
**Affected Assets**: Venezuelan crude exports (Merey blend), Caribbean refinery runs, Sovereign and PDVSA bonds
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/forecasts/26352.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/forecasts

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## Prediction

Facing a surge in power demand and mounting blackout concerns, Venezuelan authorities are likely within 24 hours to issue public assurances that oil production and refining will be protected, possibly announcing priority power allocations to energy facilities. The government will aim to calm both domestic fears of 2017-style outages and foreign buyers’ worries about supply reliability. This may temporarily soothe market nerves but will highlight structural grid weakness and the regime’s limited capacity for real fixes. Confirmation would be official statements explicitly linking grid stabilization to safeguarding oil exports; disconfirmation would be silence on energy-sector prioritization despite widely reported demand spike.

## Drivers

- Reported Venezuelan power demand above 16.4 GW, highest since pre-crisis period
- Top leadership visibly reviewing grid and acknowledging lagging supply
- High dependence of heavy oil operations and upgraders on reliable power