Blackouts reduced on Saturday and eliminated Sunday as hydro plant conditions improve

Energy Minister Roberto Luque announced Friday that power blackouts will be reduced to two hours on Saturday and suspended altogether on Sunday as a result of rising water levels at the Mazar-Paute hydroelectric complex.

Blackout hours have been reduced for Saturday and eliminated for Sunday.

Luque said the change is partly due to lower electricity usage on weekends. “It is easier to provide relief on weekends because of lower consumption rates and fortunately it comes at a good time for families who are spending more time at home,” he said.

According to Luque, water levels at the Mazar and two downstream reservoirs continue to rise as a result of recent rains. He pointed out the three generation plants at the Mazar-Paute complex produce 37% of Ecuador’s electricity under normal conditions. “The southern region of the country, where the complex is located, has been the most affected by the drought so increased rainfall there is critical to the health of our entire energy system.”

He added that the recovery of generation capacity at Mazar-Paute comes at a critical time because of cleaning operations at the Coca Coda Sinclair plant, the country’s second largest, on the Coca River east of Quito. “The siltation build-up at Coca Coda had to be removed to avoid damage to the turbines,” he said.

Luque cautioned that the electric crisis is not over. “If the rains continue, blackouts will be reduced or eliminated but this is a day-to-day situation.

Luque said that all electricity transfers from Colombia have ended. “They are also suffering from the drought which has reduced their power generation capacity,” he said. “In some regions of that country they have imposed water use restrictions as well as power blackouts.”