The Minister of Energy and Mines reported on the current energy situation and government actions to achieve stability in the sector

The following is a machine translation of a Ministry of Energy and Mines release

The Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Goncalves, updated the public on the actions implemented to mitigate the energy crisis affecting the country, highlighting efforts to achieve greater stability of the electricity supply in the country.

As announced, the weekly press conference was held today to announce the actions to safeguard the electrical system and the new schedules for the suspension of electrical service, which will apply in the period from September 30, 2024 to October 6, 2024. "We are committed to providing the best possible information and to minimizing the impact of this crisis," said the minister, Antonio Goncalves.

He explained that for this new week, the service suspension time could be reduced within the scheduled time, due to the improvement of hydrological conditions in run-of-the-river power plants, such as Coca Codo Sinclair, in which case the available water resources will be used to the maximum to generate energy.

The minister stressed that the planning of the new schedules has prioritized minimizing the impact on the productive sector, with special attention to the industrial sector. "We have already worked with 205 companies to adjust the schedule to their productive needs, without affecting households."

To ensure transparency and continuous improvement in the planning of the suspension, the Ministry has enabled the email reporteshorarios@energiayminas.gob.ec so that citizens and companies can clarify any doubts.

In Quito, due to the emergency caused by forest fires, power will remain uninterrupted until 6:00 p.m. today, and from then on, the already planned schedules will be resumed.

As for the state of Mazar, he stressed that thanks to energy saving efforts by citizens, the reservoir level has been partially restored. “The main reservoir has shown stabilization. In addition, recent rains on the Coca River have allowed the hours of light rationing to be reduced in some areas of the country. Despite these advances, drought and low hydrology continue to be a challenge,” added the minister.

During his meeting with the media, the minister highlighted the incorporation of new generation, mainly thermal, which allows covering the deficit calculated by the National Electricity Operator – CENACE – at 1080 MW. In this regard, he pointed out that the floating generation vessel operates at full capacity with 100 MW.

Finally, the minister confirmed the resignation of the Vice Minister of Electricity, Rafael Quintero, whose replacement will be announced shortly.

The situation continues to be closely monitored, and it is hoped that with the incorporation of more thermal and renewable energy, the country's electricity deficit will be mitigated.