The general manager of the Quito Electric Company (EEQ) has decided to cancel the tender for the purchase of 465 MW of new electricity through a joint venture agreement between several distribution companies in the country. He did so by accepting the report of the technical commission, chaired by Gonzalo Ulpiano Enrique Páez Chacón, dated November 22.

This competition, which cost distributors $163 million, was proposed by the national electricity operator Cenace to reduce the energy deficit during this dry season (October 2023 to March 2024). According to outgoing authorities, such as the Deputy Minister of Electricity, Juan José Espinosa, the very end of blackouts was tied to the purchase of this new energy. However, the technical committee found that some other processes are needed to successfully implement the contracting.

In this way, the competition was shortened, on the same day when the new Government begins its work, which must provide solutions for the blackout crisis that the country has been in since October last year.

The commission said that for additional land or sea solutions to be installed in the territory of Ecuador, the authorizations of the port, the environment and the Ecuadorian National Customs Service are required.

She also pointed to the need to have a temporary work residence visa for the mobility of staff who will manage additional solutions. They will last from one to three months; exceeding the deadlines in order to be able to start contracting the service of additional electricity supply to meet the dry conditions of 2023-2024.

In the last interview conducted by Diario EL UNIVERSO, the deputy minister indicated that energy offers ranging from 8 cents to 10 or 15 cents kWh were obtained from market research. That is, lower prices compared to other prices like those in Colombia.