New round of electric blackouts announced

Ecuador’s Energy Ministry announced Monday night that scheduled power blackouts were underway.

The Energy Ministry announced Monday night a new round of scheduled electric blackouts. It blamed the interruptions on the continuing drought conditions and did not say how long the blackouts would last.

According to schedules released Monday, the blackouts will be for periods of three hours, with times announced by local utility companies. For the Cuenca area, the schedule is posted on the Centrosur website.

In recent weeks, much of the country has experienced unscheduled power outages, most of them blamed on maintenance problems.

According to the Energy Ministry, reduced levels of power generation at the Mazar complex in eastern Azuay Province is the main reason for the electricity deficit. As of late last week, the complex was operating at less than 40% capacity due to low water levels in the reservoirs.

Southern Ecuador is the area most affected by drought conditions, according to the National Meteorology Institute. The weather reporting station in Cuenca, about 40 kilometers west of Mazar, has received less than 60% of normal rainfall since June of 2023.