Country’s industries will ‘share the sacrifice’ with 10-hour blackouts for at least 15 days

National Electricity Operator Cenace has ordered 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. electric blackouts for Ecuador’s largest industries for a period of at least 15 days, effective immediately. Until Saturday, the industrial sector had escaped most blackouts due to what the government said was its ‘strategic importance.’

Part of the hydroelectric facilities at the Paute-Mazar complex 30 kilometers east of Cuenca.

Following Cenace’s announcement, executive director Javier Guevara said the objective of the order is to “allow restoration of operational water levels” at the Mazar reservoir.

Although Mazar water levels have risen about two meters in the past week due rain and reduced generation, Cenace said suspension of operations at all three downstream power plants is necessary to speed up the reservoir’s refill. Under normal conditions, the three plants powered by the reservoir provide almost 40% of Ecuador’s electricity.

Energy Minister Antonio Goncalves announced Thursday that the country’s industrial sector would be asked to “share in the sacrifice” during the electric crisis, but did not say how.  “Residential and small business customers have borne the brunt of the blackouts so far and this burden must now be redistributed,” he said, urging industries to use private generators whenever possible.

Beginning Friday, the ministry reduced blackout hours for most consumers from as much as 10 hours a day to five hours.

In his Thursday comments, Goncalves said that increased rainfall in northeastern and central Ecuador has allowed increased generation at the Coca Codo Sinclair and Agoyán hydroelectric plants and two smaller facilities. “Until two weeks ago, Coca Codo was operating at about 50% capacity because of low flow conditions on the Coca River but this has changed because of the rainfall and we’re now operating at almost 80%,” he said, explaining that the facility has the capacity to produce 1,500 megawatts of power.

Coca Codo does not have a reservoir and operates on the run-of-the-river, or flow-through principle, Goncalves said, so the river’s flow rate determines the plant’s production capacity.

Goncalves added that full functionality of the Turkish power barge in Guayaquil and restoration of service of two thermal generation plants have added almost 300 megawatts to the national power grid in the last week. He also said that the weather forecast is “favorable” in the coming weeks for southern Ecuador and the watershed that provides water to the Paute River.

Groups representing industries reacted angrily to Saturday’s announcement of power cuts. María Paz Jervis, president of the Chamber of Industries and Production, said on X that the new cuts threaten the national economy “that is already in depression” from crime and other factors. “This is also an attack on the citizens of Ecuador who depend on manufacturing and industry for employment and economic vitality. We demand the government revisit this decision because it is a grave mistake.”