Venalum worker accused of sharing video of explosions released

This Monday The release of Jesús Eduardo Romero, CVG Venalum instrumentalist, was confirmedafter he was arrested by officials of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) on Sunday, September 1.

According to the testimony of company employees, Romero was arrested for his alleged responsibility in the filming of videos spread on social networks, where explosions can be seen at the plantas a result of the maneuvers carried out to reactivate the state aluminum company’s cells after the blackout of August 30.

In the video, the employee filming shows obvious nervousness, requests an ambulance and expresses fear during the recording. The material was shared through regional media, who also reported the complaint of a group of workers who reported the loss of more than 30 cells during the more than 12 hours without electricity.

In this regard, Romero was accused of being the person who filmed the images and was being investigated for causing unrest in the population, reported Fe y Alegreía.

CVG Venalum denies problems at plant

The Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CVG) shared on its official social networks a material in which they assure that there were no incidents during the start-up of the plant. And, in addition, they recognize that only 30% of it is operational.

“We are in the fifth line rectifier room at CVG Venalum. I am here with Ángel González, president of Venalum. Since 5:00 in the morning, Venalum workers have been carrying out a delicate maneuver to sabotage our electrical system. The technical and engineering staff was present to carry out all the processes and safeguard a little more than 200 cells that this important aluminum complex has active,” declared the vice president of CVG, Major General Alexis Rodríguez Cabello.

Likewise, CVG President Héctor Silva also posted a video on social media where he claims to be supervising the start-up of the plant and explains that the situation is optimal.

However, Radio Fe y Alegría Noticias spoke with labor leaders and state-owned personnel who They confirmed that at least 30 cells had been affected. In context, aluminium reduction cells require electricity to operate, and must be supplied constantly, since if they are switched off, the process of resuming functions is highly costly.

“When they say they are gone, it means they are lost because they have a short circuit or the casing melts and there is a spill, then the explosions start when the liquid aluminum falls and makes contact with the ground and that spark starts everywhere. It is something that was expected after such a long period without power, they cool down and when they start to put power in for the heating process, the ones that are older and producing aluminum and have some crack, that’s where they go. When that liquid aluminum hits the ground, it starts to spark and that is the rain that you see in the videos,” said a company worker who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being arrested.