The Ministry of Energy, headed by Minister Andre Arrob, within the new administration of President Daniel Nobo Azín, has announced that it is currently working on an action plan that enables, with better conditions, the supply of electricity demand in the country. efficient, economical and reliable.

Currently, Ecuador is going through a period of drought in the Amazon region which has led to a drop in energy production to the extent that there are power outages of at least two hours a day in different time zones across the country.

The Ministry indicated that on November 22, the contracting process for 465 MW by the Quito Electric Company and other distributors was declared invalid, which was a key measure to end the blackout, according to the previous government’s plan, the Ministry of Energy and Mining, under the leadership of Minister Arrobo Peña, works in various fields to combat the situation. At least four measures are planned:

According to this state portfolio, these actions include the development of production projects that are planned within the framework of the Master Plan for Electricity (PME), reforms of the Organic Law on Public Electricity Service to promote the development of new projects, strengthening of electricity distribution networks; and public lighting projects, based on LED technology, prioritizing rural and marginal urban areas, among other activities.

Finally, Minister Arrobo held her first meeting with the Ministers of Economy and Environment, Juan Carlos Vega (designate) and Sade Fritschi, to establish joint strategies and face the crisis in the country’s electricity sector.

On the other hand, the largest distributor in Ecuador, CNEL EP (National Electricity Corporation) reported that, due to the current drought conditions, the amount allocated in the 2023 Cost Study for the procurement of energy from public and private generators has been fully met. paid.

In response to this situation, the company initiated appropriate administrative procedures in coordination with the Ministry of Energy and the Agency for Regulation and Supervision of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources (Arcernnr), with the aim of implementing budget adjustments and canceling the energy purchase invoice.

The distributor assured that at this moment the payment of invoices to public and private producers takes place in accordance with the payment priority scheme established for the purchase of energy and approved by the relevant ministry.