Government orders total blackout for largest businesses as hydro and thermal generation drops

The government on Friday ordered hundreds of high-energy consuming companies disconnected from the national power grid. In an email, the Energy Ministry told companies that if they did not disconnect voluntarily, disconnections would be made involuntarily by local power distributors.

The water level at the Mazar reservoir in eastern Azuay Province has dropped five meters in four days and is only 12 meters above the “critical operational level” for the three hydroelectric plants it supplies.

According to the message, the disconnections will continue through Sunday, the day before 72-hour electric blackouts were scheduled to begin for 9,000 “high and medium voltage” companies, most of them manufacturers and large agricultural operations.

The government says the disconnections are necessary due to a “faster than expected” drop in water levels at the country’s hydroelectric generation plants and difficulty fueling two thermal power barges in the Guayas River.

Early Saturday, the water level at the Mazar reservoir, which powers the country’s largest hydroelectric complex, stood at 2,127.64 meters above sea level, 12.64 meters above “critical operational level.” The reservoir level has dropped five meters in four days.

Coca Coda Sinclair, the country’s second largest hydroelectric facility, was operating at 50% capacity Saturday morning as a result of the low flow rate of the Rio Coca, which has dropped 30% in a week. Coca Coda Sinclair is located in Napo Province, east of Quito.

Low water also plagues two smaller hydroelectric plants, Agoyan in Tungurahua Province and San Francisco Mines in Azuay, restricting generation capacity.

In addition, the Energy Ministry said that rough seas were preventing fueling operations for two thermal power barges near Guayaquil, representing a loss of 200MW of generation.

The National Meteorology Institute is predicting moderate to heavy rain in the country’s coastal and Amazon regions for Saturday and Sunday and light showers in the sierra, where most hydroelectric plants are located.