Government fires electric utility managers following weekend blackouts in Guayaquil and Quito

Energy Minister Inés Manzano said Tuesday that the senior staff in the National Electricity Operator (Cenace) and the National Electricity Corporation (CNEL) have been fired. The announcement followed a series of power outages in Guayaquil, Quito and other cities over the weekend.

The water flow has increased in the Rio Coca, allowing the Coca Coda Sinclair hydroelectric plant to increase generation.

According to Manzano, the officials were making decisions about power suspensions without her approval. “Some of the outages were announced but others were not and this led to confusion for the public,” she said. “Miscommunication such as this cannot be tolerated.”

Manzano also reacted to media reports that the suspensions were the beginning of electric blackouts similar to those in 2024. “These claims are not true and many of them are politically motivated intended to alarm the public. All the outages in recent weeks have been for the purpose of making repairs and strengthening the power grid,” she said.

In addition to areas in and near Guayaquil, neighborhoods in Quito and the Tumbaco Valley experienced power outages of five hours or more on Saturday and Sunday. Shorter outages were reported in Riobamba, Santo Domingo, Pedernales and Ambato.

Prior to her announcement of the firings of the officials, Manzano added to the confusion, first announcing there would be power cuts for repairs at an electrical substation in Daule the next two weekends and then, two hours later, cancelling the work order, saying there would be no service suspensions.

According to former CNEL official and energy consultant Jorge Luis Hidalgo, the country’s electrical system is “operating at its outside limit” and suggested the government is being “dishonest” with the people. “I do not know if the recent suspensions were the result of repairs but I do know that that the system is operating beyond its capacity,” he said. “This is the hot season on the coast and air conditioning is drawing almost 600 megawatts a day, which is more than 12% of total generation. This is nothing new – when the temperature reaches 39 or 40 degrees people want to cool down – but the demand is greater this year due to the additional air conditioners.”

Hidalgo added that the electrical system’s problems go beyond a lack of generation capacity which cannot meet demand. “The infrastructure has been poorly maintained in recent years and we have worn out power lines and transformers, especially on the coast, and much of the equipment in the substations is in need repair or replacement.”

Referring to President Daniel Noboa’s promise last week that there would be no blackouts in April, Hidalgo says the government is putting its faith in the weather. “The president said we are entering the wet season and that the rains would return at the end of the month,” he said. “Well, the rain is already here in much of the country but it has not been enough to fill the reservoirs and rivers. My suggestion is that the government be honest with the public, explain the problem but also present solutions for the future.”