The measure seeks to preserve water reserves at hydroelectric dams ahead of the arrival of the El Niño.
On Wednesday, Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment and Energy announced that 185 energy-intensive companies will disconnect from the power grid once a week or change their work schedules to reduce energy demand.
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Through this form of scheduled power outage, the administration of President Daniel Noboa seeks to address the lack of water in reservoirs that supply hydroelectric plants ahead of the arrival of the El Niño.
The decision applies to industries in the High Voltage 1 and 2 segments, the country’s largest electricity consumers, and is expected to reduce demand by approximately 1,000 megawatt-hours per day.
“This measure is intended to optimize the use of energy reserves, as well as strengthen the continuity and reliability of electricity supply,” the Ministry of Environment and Energy said.
The announcement of these cuts or reorganizations at companies to reduce consumption had already been made by Environment and Energy Minister Juan Blum on Friday, when he said the measure would begin to be implemented this week.
I have a new piece out in Nature today on the record-breaking 2026/2027 El Niño, what impacts we should expect, and how governments can prepare. The Niño3.4 region is currently running more than 1C hotter than any prior event on record, and we remain months away from the peak. pic.twitter.com/ChqjisQsi4
— Zeke Hausfather (@hausfath) September 22, 2026
Blum said that if the decision to disconnect companies were not made, the country could have enough water in one of its main reservoirs only until the third week of October. “The idea is to manage these cuts so we can reach December and then coincide with the start of the rains,” he added.
To comply with the Ministry’s directive, large companies may reduce their electricity load, generate their own power or reorganize their production processes to operate when demand is lower.
“The measure will be temporary and will remain in effect as long as the system’s operational and energy conditions require it,” the Ministry of Environment and Energy said, insisting that the power cuts are directed “exclusively at the industrial sector.”
Authorities vowed that “under no circumstances are disconnections in homes and businesses planned,” as occurred between 2023 and 2024, when the Noboa administration carried out electricity rationing that exceeded eight hours a day.
The highest level of power outages in Ecuador occurred in mid-September 2024, when up to 14 hours of electricity service suspension were recorded.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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