A pedestrian walks past a solar-powered Christmas lights installation, in Quito, Ecuador, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, amid an energy crisis and blackouts that the government has attributed to a drought. The government of President Daniel Noboa decided to suspend daily power cuts during the end-of-year holidays. Credit: AP/Dolores Ochoa
But last week the Noboa administration said in a statement that weather conditions have been improving and that maintenance problems at some of Ecuador’s hydroelectric plants have been fixed. Ecuador’s government also said a deal had been made to import electricity from neighboring Colombia, eliminating the need for power cuts in residential areas.
Business leaders in Ecuador remain concerned over the continuing cuts at industrial sites and question whether it is wise to prioritize residential areas.
“You cannot sacrifice production and employment in order to make promises (to residential areas) that may not last,” said Patricio Alarcon, the former president of Quito’s chamber of commerce.
Marco Acuña, the president of Ecuador’s national guild of engineers, said power cuts could return to residential areas after the holidays because Ecuador still has not substantially diversified its sources of energy.
Acuña said power plants using fossil fuels in Ecuador are currently producing less than 40% of the electricity they are designed to generate due to problems with engines and machines. He said the recent agreement to import electricity from Colombia will only cover about 8% of Ecuador’s daily needs.
In the meantime, the citizens of Ecuador are enjoying their respite from the daily power cuts.
“I hope people come to buy things with the same enthusiasm as before” said Pablo Parra, a street vendor who sells Christmas trees and lights in Quito.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=67674c89bc684d8584e2693432807ee9&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsday.com%2Fnews%2Fnation%2Fecuador-electricity-christmas-power-cuts-elections-noboa-j82784&c=3358342311397849424&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-12-21 09:30:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
