Government denies claims that blackouts are returning, criticizes ‘alarmist, irresponsible’ reports

Energy Minister Inés Manzano said Sunday that news reports that electric blackouts have returned are not true. “This is alarmist and irresponsible journalism, and I am asking the public to ignore it,” she said, referring to articles in the Diario Expreso and El Universo newspapers.

Energy Minister Inés Manzano

The articles reported power outages in Guayaquil and Quito and quoted utility consultants who said that a new round of blackouts is underway.

Manzano said the power outages were the result of “routine maintenance and repairs” required to maintain the power system. “There are no generalized blackouts and there are no plans for any,” she said. “The cases that were reported involved scheduled upgrades as well as outages caused by wind, falling limbs and birds. I resent the suggestion that we are beginning an unannounced, secret program of blackouts.”

In El Comercio, a former utility manager said the outages in Tumbaco Valley, southeast of Quito, were the result of outdated and poorly maintained equipment. “These service suspensions are not related to the drought and water levels at the reservoirs, but they are just as disruptive to customers,” Gustavo Castro was quoted as saying. “There will be more of them.”

In her comments, Manzano claimed the national power grid is in “very good condition” and there would be no blackouts through the remainder of the year. “The electricity supply is guaranteed, and we categorically reject the dissemination of unfounded, alarmist and malicious news, which seeks to generate uncertainty in the citizenry.”

She added: “Our hydroelectric system is operating as planned and the reservoirs at Mazar and other locations are full.”

Former assistant director of the Quito Electric Company, Carlos Hamilton, said Manzano is correct that there will be no general blackouts in the near future, but says equipment failures will probably increase. “New transformers and cables are needed in several locations and until the upgrades are made, there will be suspensions,” he said. “It is true that the heavy rainfall of the last few months will keep the hydro plants functioning through the dry season but the health of the overall system is precarious.”

Hamilton also pointed out the government has fallen short in adding the new generating capacity it promised. “We only added about 50% of what was projected and if we were experiencing another drought, blackouts would certainly return,” he said. “Of course, there is the scandal in the purchase of the mobile generators from Miami that the government is not talking about.”