Venezuela eye wind potential 381 GW, ten times capacity
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- Venezuela can generate 381 GW of offshore wind, ten times its current electricity capacity of 38 GW, according to a World Bank analysis.
- Venezuela currently relies almost entirely on hydroelectric power for renewables, with effectively zero solar, wind, or geothermal generation.
- Venezuela's oil‑sector workforce has transferable skills—rig operation, engineering, seismic expertise—that could be repurposed for offshore wind development.
- Venezuela can create subsidized electricity hubs powered by wind to attract heavy and medium manufacturing, re‑employing workers from refining and processing.
- Venezuela faces two main barriers to offshore wind expansion: a government that prioritizes oil under Nicolás Maduro (and previously Hugo Chávez) and limited institutional capacity, including bureaucratic and technical expertise.
- Venezuela cannot export electricity directly like oil, but can export cheap clean power via undersea cables to the Caribbean or convert it into exportable industrial products.
Why it matters: Venezuela's 381 GW offshore wind potential—ten times its current 38 GW electricity output—can power cheap, clean manufacturing and provide a new livelihood for oil workers, while the government's oil‑first policy and weak institutional capacity threaten that diversification and the chance to export power via undersea cables to the Caribbean.
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