According to a statement from the Executive, Manzano “will lead the transformation of an outdated matrix, which has left us stagnant in dependence on rains by 72 percent and will execute renewable energy projects already underway by this Government, which guarantee sustainability and energy sovereignty in the medium and long term,” the document detailed.

The announcement occurred after Goncalves reported earlier the increase in the hours of electric rationing up to 10 hours a day in the national territory.

Before, the State portfolio was entrusted to Roberto Luque, head of Public Works, after President Daniel Noboa asked for the resignation of Andrea Arrobo, in the midst of the worsening of the energy crisis last April.

At that time, the Presidency issued a statement in which it accused high-level officials, including former head Arrobo, of intentionally hiding crucial information about the functioning of the energy system.

Now, Manzano will be the fourth official to lead the Ministry of Energy and Mines, since Noboa assumed the leadership of the Executive in November 2023.

This Monday, the Ecuadorian Business Committee (CEE) warned that the power cuts ordered for the industrial sector could cause unemployment and shortages of basic products in this South American nation.

Meanwhile, the president of the Chamber of Industries, María Paz Jervis, assured that the country’s businessmen will form technical tables to evaluate the impact of the blackouts in the sector.

In statements to the Ecuavisa channel, the official explained that the CEE has defined a team of representatives by province to execute the technical tables, “not political” – she stressed – with members who can define the impact of the cuts, so that they are carried out with the lowest cost for the citizens.

Since last Saturday, 135 factories in the city of Cuenca, in the south of the country, reported 10-hour blackouts and in Ambato, in the center of the national territory, there were 130 affected companies, indicated the leaders of the productive sector.

The energy crisis in Ecuador worsened in mid-April, with power outages lasting up to 13 hours in some places. This situation continues throughout the country and, according to the government, the outages will vary depending on the water level in the reservoirs that feed the hydroelectric plants.

ef/npg/nta