Massive Power Outage Affects Several Cities in Ecuador
Ilustrative image. Photo: X/ @MoniVelasquezV
September 7, 2024 Hour: 2:58 pm
On Saturday a general blackout it is affecting several major cities in Ecuador, including Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Loja and Latacunga as citizens complain of the state’s involvement in and abandonment of the energy sector.
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According to the National Electricity Operator (CENACE), the fault originated in the bar of the Molino substation, which is connected to the Paute Central. The disconnection of this bar caused a cut in the supply of electricity in at least 11 provinces, including Pichincha, Guayas and Loja.
Meanwhile, the president of the College of Electrical Engineers of Azuay, Diego Morales, explained that the power outage was due to a collapse in the National Interconnected System.
CENACE estimates that the power cut, which began around 8 am, will last for three or four hours before technicians and related companies resolve the breakdown.
In Quito, the blackout affected the operation of the city’s metro system, which was paralyzed and generated a backlog of users at the stations while problems were recorded in vehicular traffic due to the lack of functioning of traffic lights on the main avenues.
On the other hand, the former president Rafael Correa criticized the situation through their social networks, expressing its discontent with the current management of the electricity sector noting that Ecuador has a hydroelectric generation capacity of 20,000 MW, Of which 6000 MW have been developed during his and his successors’ governments.
“A failure can occur in a substation connected to a hydroelectric power plant, but for that they had the thermoelectric park as backup, which also let destroy,” said Correa.
Autor: ACJ
Fuente: teleSURtv.net