Colombia has begun transferring power to Venezuela to help alleviate its neighbor’s energy supply problems amidst blackouts and shortages, El Espectador reported Tuesday.
Venezuela has recently been enduring energy problems similar to those in 2010, related to droughts in the country’s northwestern regions, which have impacted the hydro-electric systems that provide some 70% of the nation’s power despite its large oil reserves.
Colombia’s Minister of Mining and Energy, Carlos Rodado Noriega, said that Colombia began the transfer of electrical energy on Monday, from Colombia’s northern department of La Guajira, through the available Cuestecitas-Cuatricentenario energy line that connects the two countries.
The energy transfer comes as a result of agreements between Colombia and Venezuela, which were finalized during the most recent meeting between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in Cartagena in April.