Power outages in Ecuador set to continue until September 29
The Ecuadorian government said on Monday that Power outage Across the country, it will last for 12 hours a day, up from a planned eight hours, due to the urgent energy crisis the country is suffering from due to the worst drought in its modern history.
Energy Minister Antonio Goncalves told reporters that authorities said last week that power outages would occur across the country for up to eight hours a day but that bad weather conditions continued in areas where the country’s dams are located.
Ecuador’s government announced a nine-hour power outage on Sunday in 12 of the country’s 24 provinces and put 19 regions on maximum alert due to drought that has led to low water levels at hydroelectric plants.
The Ecuadorian presidency said in a statement released Saturday evening on Channel X that the power outage in the provinces will be from 8 a.m. local time until 5 p.m. This is in addition to the government’s plans announced Tuesday for an eight-hour nighttime power outage across the country from Monday to Thursday.
Power was cut across large parts of the Andean nation early Monday as officials grapple with the driest conditions since More than 60 years.
“In the face of the extremes of climate change in recent days, it is necessary to redistribute the suspension of electricity services that was planned for the coming days,” Ecuador’s Energy Ministry said in a statement late Sunday.
Power outages are expected to continue until Sunday, September 29. Water supply is now being rationed in Quito, the capital.
Last week, an emergency committee headed by Environment Minister Ines Manzano issued a “red alert” for much of the country as drought hampers hydroelectric generation and threatens crops amid growing forest fires.
The government imposed a curfew in crime-ridden areas for the first time overnight on September 18.
The government plans to add emergency power capacity by hiring additional power generators on ships to help make up for lost supplies, as well as hauling seeds in an attempt to boost rainfall.
Monday’s blackouts mark the third such outage in Ecuador since late last year, and the electricity crisis is likely to become a campaign issue ahead of presidential elections in February.
