Cuenca officials angered as electric headquarters relocate to Quito; New high-end mall to open in 2025; Ecuadorians are world barbecue champs

Domingo, 29/9/2023

Hola, Todos –

Hello, rain! I hope there isn’t an 8 pm blackout so I can make some cornbread to go with the pot of collard greens and ham hocks on the stove. If the blackouts continue next week <I hope there won’t be any since God willing, the creeks done rose.> on the same schedule as this week, El Mercurio will get translated on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday or Sunday so those of you reading them on CuencaHighLife will see them on M, W, & F.

Titular –

Currently under construction on the Circunvalación Sur, the new upscale Mall del Alto is scheduled to open in October 2025.

Cuenca pierde el control total de CELEC EP (Cuenca loses full control over CELEC EP) – The headquarters of the Empresa Pública Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador (CELEC EP) is moving to Quito. CELEC EP was created by Executive Decree 220 el 14/1/2010 with its headquarters in Quito. In agosto, 2011, it was moved to Cuenca by decree 845 and will be going back to Quito under decree 407 issued by President Daniel Noboa. This move has implications in several areas. For Tito Nivelo, an electrical engineer and researcher in energy production, this decision represents a centralization of the management of the institution which is the only public business in charge of electrical generation in the country.

It is a significant reduction in the institutional and economic weight of Cuenca since the administrative activities and jobs will be moved to Quito. It will deepen the unbalanced development and reduce local investments and projects in the southern region with a loss of job opportunities for the local population.

One of the reasons that Cuenca was the headquarters of CELEC was to decentralize the management of the electrical sector which is one of the main strategic areas of the country. Because of this, the Corporación Nacional de Electricidad (CNEL EP) was moved to Guayaquil, and Transelectric, which is part of CELEC EP, was moved to Quito.

According to Diego Morales, current president of the Colegio de Ingenieros Eléctricos y Electrónicos del Azuay (CIEELA) and an ex-manager of the Business Unit of CELEC, about 40% of the electricity is generated in the Austro, most of it in Azuay Province, which makes it important for the management of the electrical sector to be in this region. For Milton Pérez, an electrical engineer and ex-president of DIEELA, it means all the decisions will be centralized with the risk that critical decisions will be delayed in their execution, especially in operational areas and emergencies.

Reactions from local politicians were negative with Mayor Zamora, Prefect Lloret, and assemblyman Leonardo Berrezueta all agreeing that Cuenca and Azuay should reject this move. All of them agreed that more centralization of the electrical sector is a bad thing.

De El Mercurio del viernes, 27/9 (1 article):
En 2025 abrirá el Mall del Alto (En 2025 abrirá el Mall del Alto) – There was a presentation of the new Mall del Alto by the Grupo Empresarial Ortiz, GO Corp. The opening for the $100 million mall is projected for octobre, 2025. Located in front of the Mall del Río on the Circunvalación Sur, 6 hectares of the 16-hectare site will be construction with the rest preserved as green areas. The mall will have 5 levels with 1,200 parking spaces on the first 2. It will use green energy with the installation of 5,000 solar panels generating 3 megawatts of photovoltaic energy. It also includes a collection and treatment plant for rainwater and a solid waste treatment plant. <Let’s hope that never backs up since the autopista and Mall del Río are both directly downhill.>

There will be about 200 commercial spaces, 150 islands, a hyper-market, patio de comidas (food court – your phrase for the day), movie theaters with the latest technology, bars and nightclubs on the rooftops, gyms, entertainment spaces for children, youth and adults. <And a senior center for us old folks – wheelchair or walker zumba?>

Some of the international chains expected are Hugo Boss from Germany and Inditex from Spain which operates various brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Bershka, Oysho, and Stradivarius. There might even be a Starbucks <which is like cilantro – you either love it or hate it>. The recreation zone will have a skating rink, and mini-golf along with areas of virtual reality <beam me into the Holodeck, Scotty>

Esteban Cordero Carvallo, director of real estate projects for the Grupo Ortiz, said that Cuenca has grown exponentially in the last years and has been converted into a magnet for people from other cities and foreigners who come here for a shot at a better quality of life. <Although, I don’t understand how a better quality of life is compatible with spending all your time on line complaining about how awful Ecuador is.>

Cuenca –

De El Mercurio del sábado, 28/9 (1 article):
La licitación para construir hospital en Baños arranca (The bidding process for the construction of a hospital in Baños begins) – El Municipio de Cuenca started the bidding process to build a new municipal hospital in Baños with a 360-day construction period and which will be a replica of the hospital del Niño y la Mujer in Patamarca. The $8 million cost which includes the equipment will be financed by the Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina (CAF). The city will also build similar hospitals in Ricaurte and El Valle as part of the “Cuenca se Transforma” program. The Baños hospital will be 4,504.7 sq. m. with 21 beds and parking for 31 cars and bicycle spaces. There will be units for external consultations, emergency, hospitalization for clinical and surgical specialties, nursing care, a surgical center, radiology and imaging. There will also be a lab, transfusions, nutrition and dietary services, and a pharmacy.

Actualidad –

De El Mercurio del sábado, 28/9 (1 article):
Julio Tenesaca prepara el ‘mejor asado del mundo’ (Julio Tenesaca prepares the ‘best barbecue in the world’) – Julio Tenesaca was invited to join the Ecuadorian team of 3 to compete in the Campeonato Mundial de Asados (World Barbeque Championship) in Uruguay. The team “Braza y Selva” consisted of Tenesaca, his wife Karen Samaniego, and chef Wilson Nuñez. They were competing against 43 teams from 12 different countries and won first place. Tenesaca was born and has his restaurant, “Ñatos Smoke & Grill House” on av. 12 de Diciembre (E-45) y del Ejército in Limón-Indanza in Morena Santiago Province.

The style of his BBQ combines that of Argentina and the US using his own seasonings. In addition to attracting the attention of Cristian Silva, president of the Asociación de Parrilleros del Ecuador who tried and loved his food, his fans include motorcycle clubs who stop at his restaurant on weekends during their rides through the country. <Maybe it’s time for a culinary road trip – I’ve never been in Limón Indanza.>

And that’s all for today so hasta ? –

Jeanne