Heavy rain shuts down hydroelectric plants; Snow falls in the Cajas as Cuenca shivers; Bus-tram cards to coordinate in 2026; Ecuador gin takes top honors

The Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant was forced to shut down operations Wednesday following heavy rainfall on the eastern flank of the Andes mountains. It was one of at least seven hydro plants that were off-line at various times Wednesday and Thursday due to flooding and heavy siltation near water intake zones at the facilities.

National Electricity Operator (Cenace) has ruled out the possibility of electric blackouts as a result of the shutdowns. “We have sufficient capacity to service all national electricity requirements,” said Heriberto Medina, Cenace manager. “The generation at the Paute complex and other facilities are functioning normally.”

He added that Coca Coda and other hydroelectric plants affected by high water will be back in operation within a matter of “hours and days.”

As much as 10 centimeters of snow fell in the Cajas Mountains Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Snow falls in the Cajas as Cuenca shivers
Eastern regions of the Cajas Mountains, including the Cajas National Park, recorded as much as 10 centimeters (4 inches) of snowfall Wednesday night and Thursday morning, the National Meteorological Institute (Inamhi) reported. The weather service also reported below-average temperatures in Cuenca and the southern intermountain valley.

In Cuenca, overnight temperatures in the urban areas dropped to 8 degrees (44 fahrenheit) but were as low as 3 and 4 degrees on the west side of the city, in the Cajas foothills. Inamhi said the cool temperatures were the result of a cool air mass moving north from Peru as well as heavy daytime cloud-cover.

Bus-tram cards to coordinate in 2026
Passengers on Cuenca city buses and the tram will be able to use the same fare card by July 2026, the city transportation office said Wednesday. “We have overcome the obstacles in coordinating the fare system between the two services and by this time next year, riders will use a single card for both the tranvia and public buses,” he said.

He said bids will be accepted in July and August to develop and implement the single-card payment system, adding that negotiations with the union representing bus owners has successfully concluded.

The municipal council is expected to begin debate on revising bus fares in August or September. Currently, the fare is 30 cents but a study by the University of Cuenca recommends that it increase to 40 cents. Bus owners, however, say they need a 45-cent fare to cover costs.

Tram fare will increase from the current 35 cents once the new bus fare is implemented.

Ecuador gin takes top honors
Ecuador’s Crespo London Dry Gin won first prize at the 1st Annual Miami Global Spirits Awards May 21. The Samborondón-produced gin, which had previously won awards in Latin American competitions, took top honors based on taste tests from a panel of international experts.

Although the Miami Global Spirit Awards judges all brands of liquor, including established labels, its focus is on promoting emerging international distillers.