Ecuador: the unusual decision to suspend the working day for 2 days due to the energy crisis that the country is experiencing

Ecuador is suffering a serious energy crisis with blackouts in several areas, including the cities of Quito and Guayaquil.

This Wednesday the office of President Daniel Noboa announced several shock measures to address this situation, caused in part by the drought that affects the country’s reservoirs.

According to the government in a statement, it was decreed “the suspension of the working day on Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19″.

And he added that in these two days “the strategic sectors of the government will be operational and focused 100% on the task of resolving the energy crisis.”

The statement states that during the suspension of the working day, maintenance operations will be carried out in the country’s power plants, which will entail “energy rationing at certain immutable times.”

The government has not given more details about the blackouts that will be scheduled in the coming days.

It also announced that it will cover 50% of households’ electricity bills in the month of April.

These measures come at a critical time in Ecuador, whose electricity production has been overwhelmed by demand, causing blackouts of several hours this week in various locations.

In addition to the drought that affects hydroelectric generation, the country has lost the supply that came from Colombiawhich is also going through a difficult situation and has suspended the export of electricity to its neighbor.

Ecuador’s energy crisissurpasses historical records“Noboa’s office said.

This highlighted the precarious situation of the Mazar and Paute reservoirs, in the Andes mountain range, whose operational storage level is 0% and 4% respectively.

Meanwhile, the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant – which is the one that contributes the most energy to the country with 1,500 megawatts – “recorded a deficit of 40% compared to the historical average.”

The Presidency also pointed out in its statement those it considers guilty of the critical situation that Ecuador is experiencing in the energy field.

He accused officials of the Ministry of Energy and Mines of having hidden information about the country’s electricity crisisand specifically named former minister Andrea Arrobo.

Arrobo held the position from last November until this Tuesday, April 16, when he resigned at the request of Noboa in the middle of the electrical emergency.

“A preliminary investigation gave indications that high-level officials, including former minister Andrea Arrobo, intentionally withheld information crucial to the functioning of the national energy system,” the presidential office said in Wednesday’s statement.

And he indicated that he has presented to the Prosecutor’s Office “a complaint for paralysis of public service against 22 saboteurs who sought to do harm to all Ecuadorians, affecting their development and productivity.

“These early investigations indicate that warnings and alerts were deleted and undone to the Energy Crisis Committee, with the purpose of ensuring that this serious situation is not known so that timely decisions can be made,” the statement states.

The text, in which the government promises to “defend citizens from the claims of organized crime,” does not specify more details about the alleged irregularities committed.

When Noboa asked for the minister’s resignation this Tuesday, he already alluded to alleged sabotage, although without mentioning specific names.

Andrea Arrobo had declared last week that the electricity cuts – which had last occurred in the country in December 2023 – would not occur again in the short term despite the critical situation of the reservoirs and the suspension of supply from Colombia.

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