Credit: Fernando Machado via Getty Images.

Ecuador’s Government cut electricity in half of the country’s provinces on Sunday (22 September) after a drought affected hydroelectricity generation. 

In addition to the Sunday blackout from local time 8am and 5pm in 12 of the 24 provinces, 19 areas were placed on red alert.  

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Extended power cuts are scheduled every night from 10pm to 6am until Thursday (26 September).  

The drought – the worst Ecuador has seen in 61 years – has greatly reduced water levels at the country’s hydroelectric plants, which it heavily relies on.  

Hydropower is Ecuador’s largest source of electricity generation, constituting 71.11% of the country’s total electricity generation in 2023, according to Power Technology’s parent company GlobalData.  

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Beside the drought, the Ecuadorian presidency also attributed the power crisis to a lack of maintenance at the country’s dams.  

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Last Tuesday (18 September), the government enlisted its military to support operations at the Mazar hydroelectric dam. Around 50 soldiers trained in operating Ecuador’s hydroelectric system have been placed to protect and manage the 170MW of large-scale storage at the site.  

On Tuesday (24 September), the government ceased operations at three hydroelectric dams including the Mazar power plant. Energy Minister Antonio Goncalves said that while recent measures helped recover water levels in the reservoir by 1.40m², the situation remains critical. 

Droughts have affected power supplies across South America in recent months. In August, Brazil was forced to switch off two of its largest hydroelectric power plants due to a severe drought.