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A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study warns that Coca River erosion could reach the 1,500 MW Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant's water intake by 2026. The plant provides roughly one-third of Ecuador's national electricity. Recent rains have improved reservoir levels, and a new 200 MW plant has come online.
After devastating blackouts throughout 2024 and into 2025, Ecuador's electricity outlook is the most optimistic in over a year. Heavy rains have refilled major reservoirs, Mazar dam hit maximum capacity, and a new 200 MW plant is online. But risks remain.
In a CNN en Espanol interview on March 20, President Noboa defended Ecuador's commercial relationship with China while reaffirming the country's deepening military and diplomatic alliance with the United States.
Ecuador's grid operator CENACE has ordered businesses to self-generate electricity from 9 AM to 11 PM on weekdays since March 17. The Coca Codo Sinclair dam is operating at 37% capacity, and Colombia has suspended 450 MW in electricity exports.
Ecuador hiked tariffs on Colombian imports from 30% to 50% on March 1. Colombia retaliated on 280 Ecuadorian products at the same rate. If you buy medicine, processed food, or pesticides in Ecuador, you're already paying more.
Cuenca has become the third Ecuadorian city to adopt a formal climate action plan, covering electric bus deployment and water source protection. Bloomberg Philanthropies has awarded the city $150,000 for youth-led environmental projects as Cuenca enters 2026 under a dramatically different hydrological reality.
Ecuador is experiencing its wettest February in a decade, with Cuenca recording 150mm of rain — nearly double the historical average. Nationwide, 4,700 people have been impacted, 770 displaced, and the Mazar reservoir is discharging at over-capacity.
Colombia suspended electricity sales to Ecuador and imposed retaliatory tariffs after Ecuador slapped a 30% 'security tariff' on Colombian goods. With Ecuador's grid 79% dependent on hydroelectric power, the loss of Colombian energy imports raises the specter of the devastating 2024 blackouts.
President Daniel Noboa will join five other Latin American leaders at a Trump-hosted summit in Miami on March 7, forming a regional bloc focused on countering China’s influence, boosting security cooperation, and expanding trade — with Ecuador’s new US deal as the centerpiece.
President Daniel Noboa has been invited to a Trump-hosted Latin American presidential summit on March 7 in Miami, aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region. The U.S. also highlighted Ecuador's mining potential and signed a critical minerals agreement.
What started as a tariff dispute has spiraled into a full trade war between neighbors. Ecuador slapped 30% duties on Colombian imports; Colombia responded by suspending electricity sales and threatening counter-tariffs on 23 Ecuadorian products. The pipeline tariff jumped from $3 to $30 per barrel.
A high-level Colombian delegation arrives in Quito today for emergency talks aimed at resolving the reciprocal 30% tariff war that has brought bilateral trade to a near standstill and suspended Colombian electricity exports.
