Ecuador's energy crisis is getting worse, and the government is responding with longer power cuts for businesses. The Energy Ministry has quietly told large companies to expect blackouts of 48 hours a week, double the 24-hour disconnections introduced just days earlier, as the country's biggest hydroelectric plants struggle with low water levels.
The squeeze started on Monday, when Ecuador's 185 largest electricity consumers were disconnected one day a week. Two days later that was extended to around 860 medium-sized companies, and now many are being told to plan for two days a week without grid power. Notably, there was no formal public announcement — companies learned about the new rules via email from Energy Minister Juan Carlos Blum.
The root of the problem is water, or the lack of it. Low flow on the Rio Coca has cut output at the Coca Codo Sinclair plant, the country's flagship hydro facility, from its usual 1,200–1,400 megawatts down to 800–900 megawatts. To cover the gap, the national electric company Celec is pushing the Mazar complex hard, and it shows: the Mazar reservoir has dropped 20 metres since mid-August and now sits just 18 metres above its minimum operating level. El Niño is making everything worse, adding irregular weather stress on top of an already dry season.
Business groups are pushing back. The Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters, Fedexpor, met ministry officials to request an exemption for the ports of Guayaquil, calling them strategically vital. Its president, Xavier Rosero, warned that refrigerated warehouses and shipping containers depend on constant power for agricultural exports, and that many back-up generators aren't strong enough to keep cooling systems running through long cuts. A failure there, he said, could mean losses running into millions of dollars.
Why does this matter if you're travelling to Ecuador? Blackouts affecting industry can spill over into daily life — restaurants, shops, hotels and public services in cities like Cuenca, Quito and Guayaquil may face scheduled cuts or reduced hours. If you're planning a trip in the coming weeks, it's worth checking whether your accommodation has reliable back-up power, keeping devices charged, and building some flexibility into plans that depend on timed services. The situation is evolving quickly, and whether cuts widen beyond businesses to residential areas is one of the big open questions. Areas served by the hardest-hit hydro infrastructure are the ones to watch, while the Galápagos, which rely partly on separate generation, may be less affected — but confirm locally before assuming either way.
