The announcement by the Ministry of Energy on the morning of October 3 that from October 3 to 5 there will be special power cuts from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., due to problems in the supply of energy from Colombia, was rejected a few hours later by the minister himself Fernando Santos Alvite, Gabriel Argüello, director of the National Electricity Operator (Cenace), and director of the Ecuadorian Electricity Corporation (Celec), Gonzalo Uquillas.

At the press conference that was held starting at 4:00 p.m., the Minister of Energy, Fernando Santos, assured that in the end, the recorded problem “will not have major consequences” of the power cut. Gabriel Argüello, from Cenace, said that what happened last Monday, when there was a power outage in several sectors of the country, was a temporary problem, caused by the reduction of power transmission from Colombia. He also said that the current dry season is serious and has even come early, as it started in September.

He explained, however, that after announcing that the said cuts would occur due to a lack of energy delivery from Colombia, they were able to talk to Colombian agents and they committed to delivering energy as planned. For this purpose, they decided to suspend maintenance work on their system. In addition, the recovery of Ecuador’s own production capacity is expected in the coming days, through the Sopladora hydroelectric plant.

Argüello also said there was still a small possibility of a break this Tuesday. However, at 4:30 p.m. he confirmed that there were no such problems. Therefore, the announcement of the electric companies and the energy industry did not go beyond scaring the citizens.

Meanwhile, Celecao manager Gonzalo Uquillas explained the future measures to be taken to deal with the dry season already present in the country. At the same time, he pointed out that rationing has not started, as some experts said, but that work is being done on adequate management of the dry season.

He explained that the demand is growing more and more and assured, for example, that this Monday a record temperature of more than 36 degrees Celsius was recorded, which is why air conditioners must be used. In this sense, he called on citizens to use energy better.

Additionally, Uquillas gave a summary of how thermal power plants are generating little by little more energy.

The authorities called on citizens for peace and proper management of electricity. They also asked not to spread false rumors about possible power outages.