Experts warn of slow action on energy crisis and say that blackouts could return as soon as April

The Advisory Council of Engineering and Economics warned Friday that government action “to mitigate and solve” Ecuador’s energy crisis has fallen behind schedule. The council said electric blackouts could return as soon as late April.

“Since the end of blackouts in December, complacency has replaced urgency in addressing the energy shortage,” the council said in a statement. “The efforts to address the short-term deficits and develop plans for the future should be resumed with full force immediately.”

Energy Minister Inés Manzano visited the Paute-Mazar hydroelectric complex near Cuenca in January.

In one case, the council pointed out the government plan to activate the Toachi Pilatón hydroelectric plant, east of Quito, is behind schedule. When fully operational, Toachi Pilatón should produce 336 megawatts of power. “In the various additions to the power grid the government announced in October and November, more than 1,300 megawatts should be online in February, but less than half of that has materialized,” the engineers claimed.

“With the rains in late December and January, the country has let down its guard in relation to the electric crisis,” the council said. “The news of the crisis in off the front pages and, unfortunately, off the minds of both officials and citizens. But the crisis is still with us despite a temporary respite, and we neglect confronting it at our own risk.”

The statement said that short-term and long-term solutions must be pursued “vigorously and in unison.”

The council claimed demand for electricity is growing rapidly with the addition of more electric home and industrial appliances and machinery. “In addition, energy demand from computerization, especially from the internet and the emerging area of artificial intelligence, is growing at an exponential rate.”

Following the council’s press conference in Quito, one engineer complained that the election campaign is the “largest factor” in the lack of energy progress. “If blackouts were continuing today, the crisis would be the most important topic of the election but, because of the rain, it is being ignored.”

Following the council’s press conference, former president Rafael Correa attacked President Daniel Noboa on his X account for “mismanagement” of the energy crisis and predicted that the “lights will be going out again very soon in Ecuador.” Energy Minister Inés Manzano responded that if Correa returns from Belgium to serve his six-year corruption sentence, she will guarantee he will have lights in his prison cell.