Since 2017, right-wing governments have not invested in the maintenance or expansion of the electrical infrastructure.

On Wednesday night, Ecuador went dark with the start of a new period of scheduled blackouts due to the energy crisis linked to a severe drought affecting the country’s main hydroelectric plants.

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From 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, the country’s lights went out in scheduled power cuts by area, lasting between two to five hours. These blackouts will repeat from Monday to Thursday of next week, according to the administration of President Daniel Noboa.

The government confirmed that the lack of rain has caused the water levels in the main reservoirs to drop to critical levels. This is the third period of blackouts in less than a year, following one at the end of 2023 and another in mid-April. Unlike those previous periods of electricity rationing, when the cuts occurred during the day, this time they are being carried out at night, as the Noboa administration believes this timing will cause less disruption to the Ecuadorian economy. The Chamber of Industries and Production, however, estimates that each night of blackouts will result in losses of US$20 million.

During the blackout hours, a curfew was imposed in six provinces and one municipality of a seventh province, where the most recent state of emergency remains in effect to intensify the fight against organized crime gangs. The Noboa administration has escalated this conflict to the status of “internal armed conflict.” Among the areas under curfew are the port cities of Guayaquil in the province of Guayas and Manta in the province of Manabi.

In other jurisdictions without a curfew, law enforcement deployed police and military personnel to the streets to patrol key locations such as banks, fuel stations, and prisons. Over 46,000 police officers and 31,000 military personnel were deployed on this first night. Authorities also set up checkpoints at the entrances and exits of major cities.

Ecuador’s electricity generation matrix is composed of more than 70 percent hydroelectric power, mainly from the Coca Codo Sinclair plant, the country’s largest with a capacity of 1,500 megawatts, and the Mazar reservoir, the second largest in Ecuador. The Mazar reservoir feeds a complex of three hydroelectric plants that together provide an additional 1,757 megawatts of power.

Any disruption to these two infrastructures leaves the country’s electrical system vulnerable to meeting national demand. In some crisis moments, the situation has been alleviated by importing electricity from Colombia. Since Wednesday, the Armed Forces have taken control of the Coca Codo Sinclair plant and the Mazar reservoir under Noboa’s orders, as he fears possible sabotage to these facilities amid this critical situation.

Earlier this month, there was a blackout in 11 out of 24 provinces, which lasted for several hours due to a failure at the Paute hydroelectric plant, according to the state-run National Electricity Operator (Cenace).

In addition to the drought, the country is also facing issues from a lack of maintenance and investment in the electricity sector for over five years. To address this, the government has launched processes for energy generation contracts and leases.

Since Monday, a floating power plant leased from the Turkish company Karpowership, part of the Karadeniz energy group, has been operating, generating 100 megawatts. In the coming weeks, the government plans to lease a second ship with similar characteristics, which will generate 250 megawatts.

teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE

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