Ecuador cuts power to half of its provinces amid historic drought By Reuters

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s government on Sunday announced a nine-hour power outage in 12 of the Andean nation’s 24 provinces and placed 19 areas on red alert because of a drought that has reduced water levels at hydroelectric plants.

The power outage in the provinces will take place from 8:00 a.m. local time until 5:00 p.m., the Ecuadorian presidency said in a statement published late Saturday on X. It adds to the government’s plans announced on Tuesday for eight hours of power at night. nationwide discounts from Monday to Thursday.

Ecuador is gripped by the country’s worst drought in 61 years and an energy crisis made worse by what the government says is a lack of maintenance on existing dams and contracts to secure new power generation.

Ecuadorian authorities said the further suspension of electricity for Sunday was based on the “protection of water resources”.

The measure was taken after a meeting of the Emergency Operations Committee on Saturday night.

“We are in 19 provinces with water shortages, fires and food security (problems),” Environment Minister Ines Manzano told reporters in Cuenca on Saturday. “Appropriate entities must accept and comply with the red alert declaration resolution.”

After the government announced planned blackouts on Tuesday, the military moved into the Mazar hydroelectric plant, about 170 megawatts and considered key to its large storage capacity, to keep it running and protect it.