( Spanish) – The Minister of Energy of Ecuador, Antonio Goncalves, admitted this Wednesday on national television that the energy situation in the country has become more complicated almost a month after the start of new blackouts, and explained that, starting at noon, the blackouts will be rescheduled for up to 10 hours a day, with the exception of certain industrial sectors that will have a differentiated schedule to meet their savings quota.
“Our country is going through a critical energy situation,” Goncalves said, adding: “Projections indicate that it is necessary to make immediate and firm decisions to avoid a collapse in the national electrical system.”
The minister indicated that the level of the Mazar dam – one of the most important hydroelectric plants in the country – is close to its minimum limit. “For this reason, we find ourselves in the need to implement a rescheduling of power outages that will affect everyone,” he said.
These light rationings, according to Goncalves, will be applied in different time slots in order to “equitably” distribute the impact and “guarantee” that the electrical system can be sustained.
“We know that this measure is harsh and that it will cause discomfort, but it is necessary to protect the energy stability of our country,” the official said.
The president of the Ecuadorian Business Committee, María Paz Jervis, told this Tuesday that blackouts in the industrial sector could have a serious impact on employment, the food chain and possible risks of shortages. In addition, he asked the Government to make the situation transparent and be honest with daily information about the energy crisis.
“This has a cost that we are already paying,” Jervis said.
Citizens and business owners have shown their discontent in recent days about the blackouts and the measures implemented by the Government. In several testimonies collected by , citizens have stated that the authorities could take more precautions and better plan the management of the energy crisis that has been worsening since 2023.
Users will be able to find out the weekly blackout schedules in their cities and neighborhoods through a link enabled by the Ministry of Energy and the service distribution companies on a national scale that will inform the schedule of power outages.
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