(CNN Spanish) — The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, ordered through an executive decree the suspension of work activities in the public and private sectors for this Thursday and Friday, due to the emergency declared this Tuesday in the energy sector and the cuts in the electricity service. electric lights that have been registered in the country and that the president attributes to sabotage.
The Government reported that during both days maintenance will be carried out on the country’s power plants, a situation that will imply energy rationing at the times determined by the Ministry of Energy.
On the other hand, the Government announced in a https://twitter.com/Presidencia_Ec/status/1780631688009195906 that, after a preliminary investigation undertaken by the new team in the Ministry of Energy, it was detected that senior officials – including Andrea Arrobo, who was fired this Tuesday as minister – allegedly intentionally concealed information crucial to the functioning of the national energy system.
“The power cuts not only responded to environmental circumstances, but also to unprecedented acts of corruption and negligence,” he said.
CNN is attempting to contact Arrobo for comment.
The Presidency of the Republic also reported that the reservoirs in several hydroelectric plants in the country are in “critical conditions” and that the flow of the Coca Codo Sinclair plant registers a historic deficit.
“The analyzes of Cenace (the national electricity operator) indicate that this situation exceeds historical records; and warned that the energy deficit that the country would face starting in April would be between 22 and 27 GWh per day,” the government said.
They denounce 22 alleged saboteurs
The Presidency reported that the Government filed a complaint for “paralysis of public service” against 22 alleged saboteurs.
“The Government reiterates its commitment to combat corruption head-on, especially in the energy sector, which, as is public knowledge, has been used by officials of previous administrations to obtain personal benefits,” the statement said.
President Noboa denounced this Tuesday an alleged sabotage in the energy system, and highlighted that it had been launched due to the proximity of the popular consultation and referendum scheduled for this Sunday, in which he hopes to obtain support to promote legal reforms to reconsider the participation of the Armed Forces in the internal security of the country.
“We are not going to allow that to happen, and they are miserable the last week before a popular consultation because they know they had lost it. This investigation is not going to rest. We have already presented the Prosecutor’s Office and the Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES) is already working on it. “Any person involved will be considered a traitor to the country but a threat to national security,” Noboa said this Tuesday.
Meanwhile, on the streets and in businesses, citizens are upset by the lack of service and power outages.
The Government had ended the cycle of power cuts in February, marking that the dry season had passed; However, the blackouts returned since this Sunday in several provinces.
