Global General

Bolivia urges citizens to save energy

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-02 15:05

LA PAZ - Bolivian citizens were encouraged Wednesday to save energy in the winter season, despite the government's promise that reserves will be enough for national supply.

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"We are not saying it will be a rationing; we are making all efforts, and we have an emergency program at the national level," Hydrocarbons and Energy Minister Jose Luis Gutierrez told Xinhua.

The South American country said it still has "some reserves" available, enough to cover about 10 percent of Bolivia's demand of about 1,050 megawatts. But the government also called for public cooperation to reduce demand so as to keep the reserves.

Gutierrez warned that the misuse of energy resources would cause energy shortage for industrial production, and encouraged citizens to use electricity rationally.

"This is why I ask all the people to learn to use electricity with caution, that when they leave the room, they remember to switch off the lights, when they are not watching TV, to turn it off," he said.

Electricity supply and the transportation of natural gas to western Bolivia will be tight in winter, which has just started in the Southern Hemisphere, according to research by the National Chamber of Industry.