The president said that the new infrastructure will generate 399.85 megawatts and will be located in the provinces of Morona Santiago, in the Amazon, and Imbabura, in the north of the country.

The minister in charge of the Energy and Mines Ministry, Inés Manzano, said that “The execution of the projects represents an investment of 437.7 million dollars from the private sector.” She also stated that the arrival of a second barge was ruled out because “it did not comply with the technical issues.” According to Manzano, generators are currently being brought in on Hercules cargo planes to have immediate solutions.

This Wednesday, the Economic Development Commission of the National Assembly will discuss an urgent economic bill sent by the Government which promotes private electricity generation.

Recently, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador warned that they are vigilant on Noboa and his business circles who are not taking advantage of this crisis to promote shady businesses and the privatization of the electricity sector.

The energy crisis in Ecuador worsened in mid-April, when there were power outages of up to 13 hours in some territories due to the generation deficit. Currently the situation persists, with blackouts of 10 hours a day.

According to a specialized report, the interruptions could extend until 2025, while Minister Manzano exprresed that “until the end of December we will have minimal blackouts.”

jrr/llp/jha/avr