This is an energy crisis that didn’t need to happen, according to two former officials

Former Energy Minister Fernando Santos claims the current energy crisis could have been avoided if the Noboa government had followed through on projects approved and funded by the outgoing Lasso administration.

Two energy experts claim the current crisis could have been avoided.

“These projects were ready to be executed in 2023 and would have produced 800 megawatts, enough to see us through the current shortfall,” Santos says. “Because they involved renewable energy sources, geothermal, wind and solar, they could have been installed in less than two years and would be operating today.”

Instead, say Santos, the projects were “ignored and shelved” by the new government and have received no further consideration. “The money had been authorized by the Inter-American Development Bank so proceeding with the projects would not have affected the budget of the new administration,” he says.

Despite not proceeding with those projects, Santos says Noboa is not to blame for the “overall poor condition” of Ecuador’s energy system. “This is a legacy problem that has been aggravated by increased demand and the lack of investment over many years and many governments. Every government has kicked the issue down the road for the next government to handle.”

Former contractor to the National Electricity Corporation and past-president of Ecuador Energy Sovereignty, Juan Pablo Serrano, also criticized the government for not “aggressively and programmatically” pursuing new generation projects. “The 2024 blackouts were the wake-up call and yet, beyond two scandalous purchases of generators, almost nothing was done.”

According to Serrano, the government’s own calculations showed the country needed 1,650 megawatts to make it through 2026. “And this was before we were aware of the strength of El Niño,” he said. “So, what is the net gain for the power grid this year? Only 126 megawatts.”

Serrano said the resumption of electric transfers from Colombia is “good news,” but says it provides minimal relief. “On Friday, it amounted to 1.36% of national usage, certainly not enough to replace lost generation at Mazar and Minas San Franciso.” He adds: “Once again, we are in a position of begging someone else, in this case Colombia, to help us when we should be helping ourselves.”

In both the short- and long-term, Serrano says the government should hire “recognized energy professionals” who are given the support to develop a comprehensive plan for the future. “This has been promised by many governments, including the current one, but for some reason, politics always gets in the way.”