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President Noboa meets VP Vance this week to discuss security, migration, and trade. Ecuador is also seeking a civilian nuclear energy agreement with the US — a first.
Juan Carlos Blum is now the fifth person to lead Ecuador's energy portfolio since November 2023. A former minister calls it 'a responsibility of the highest risk.' The blackouts, failed contracts, and investigations explain why.
Ecuador is burning through diesel at a 23% faster rate to keep the lights on. Diesel prices jumped from .11 to .45 per gallon. And the government just failed — for the second time — to secure emergency thermal generation contracts.
Without Colombian electricity and an unreliable Coca Codo Sinclair plant, Ecuador's grid operator projects rolling blackout risk during the October-March dry season. The government is scrambling to rent diesel generators.
Ecuador's Attorney General is seeking to formally charge 21 people — including a former Celec manager and former Energy Minister — with embezzlement tied to emergency contracts during the 2024 blackout crisis. Estimated damages exceed $100 million.
Prosecutors raided CNEL offices across three provinces after the Energy Minister revealed a decade-long billing manipulation scheme affecting 400,000+ accounts. Officials allegedly cut invoices by 80% in exchange for bribes.
The incoming Energy Minister inherits a five-front crisis: a 900+ MW power generation gap, record electricity demand of 5,374 MW, oil output at its lowest since 2003, and a dormant mining cadastre. Here's what that means for daily life.
President Daniel Noboa announced cabinet changes on April 20, installing Jaime Bernabé Erazo as Minister of Health effective immediately. The Ministry of Environment and Energy will receive a new minister on April 30, with the current officeholder stepping down.
Ecuador's government takes formal possession of the country's largest hydroelectric project today, ending a decade of refused acceptance over 17,661 documented fissures. China's PowerChina takes over operation and maintenance at $46M/year for 25 years. Here's what the deal contains and what it means for the country's power supply.
Ecuador's strategic Mazar reservoir is sitting at ~2,137 m.s.n.m. — about 61% of stored energy capacity, and 23–28 meters above the same period in 2024. Energy Minister Inés Manzano declared "tenemos agua." Hydroelectric is currently delivering 72.3% of national output. Here's the supply-side picture as the heat wave continues.
The Banco Central del Ecuador raised its 2026 GDP growth projection to 2.5%, up 0.7 points from its September forecast. Inflation is expected at 1.8%, private credit to grow 10%, and the external account to post a $6.4 billion surplus. 2025 closed at 3.7% growth — so momentum is slowing.
Peak demand on the Ecuadorian electrical grid hit 5,333 MW on April 10 — roughly 20% above normal, and enough to trigger rolling blackouts across Guayaquil, Daule, and Samborondón. The Ministry of Environment and Energy suspended all scheduled grid maintenance on April 14 to free up capacity. Here's what's happening and what to expect.
