Ecuador credits alternatives to eliminating annoying and harmful power outages by resorting to natural energy sources, among which stand out gas reserves in the Gulf of Guayaquil, sufficient to cover 1,200 MW that would be needed in the dry months and meet the daily demand of 4,500 MW, without the need for expensive imports Colombian energy and replace the purchase of petroleum products that affect the economy and worsen environmental pollution. In the medium term, foreign exchange expenditures for the purchase of nitrogen fertilizers (urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonia, etc.) resulting from the mentioned gas would be eliminated.

The country has a capacity of 5,100 MW of hydroelectric power, 1,860 MW of thermal power and 241 MW of non-conventional renewable energy, enough to cover the excess demand, which should be calm, but it happens that in the months of severe drought, due to For the eastern hydraulic projects, an additional 800 MW is needed as would balance the system of traditional energy procurement from Colombia, which when the interconnection becomes saturated requires power outages of two to four hours a day, with the aggravating factor that the Thermal Power Plant has only 960 MW, the remaining 900 MW is under maintenance or out of operation due to obsolescence.

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According to the national expert Juan Saavedra, the deficit should be supported by production without accidents and covering the growing demand, including new requirements in the field of shrimps and bananas, all independent of the erratic Amazonian hydrology, which records dry periods of two to four months, to which is added the unpredictability of the phenomenon of El Niño/La Niña and climate change. Ecuador has potential gas resources from the Gulf of Guayaquil to cover a thermal deficit of 1,200 MW with gas turbines, equivalent to 280 million cubic feet of natural gas per day of operation. Currently only 25 are in use in the Amistad field. million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

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According to Raúl Ortiz, an expert consultant on energy issues, Ecuador is one of the countries with the highest per capita consumption of petroleum products on the continent, which not only has a huge negative impact on the national economy, but also causes greater environmental pollution. Several countries have reduced their consumption of derivatives, replacing them with natural products produced locally and/or imported. Natural gas is cheaper than petroleum products and is less harmful to the environment. It also proposes the gradual replacement of imported diesel, LPG and gasoline with natural gas from the Amistad field, including an exploration process in the same block (outside the field) and two adjacent ones in the Gulf of Guayaquil.

The aim would be to supply gas for thermoelectric production and industrial use (for example, urea plant, plastics, etc.), transport and domestic use. With fuel that could be up to 50% cheaper and with a 40% reduction in carbon footprint compared to petroleum products. (OR)