Over the past several months, mainland Ecuador (not Galapagos) has been dealing with rolling blackouts of various durations.   An unusually long dry spell has left the country’s hydro-electric reservoirs severely depleted, forcing the authorities to ration out electricity. 

In normal circumstances, Ecuador produces 80% of its electricity needs through renewable sources, positioning the country as a leader in clean energy in Latin America. But when the rains fail, things can get difficult. 

No rain - no electricity at the Paute dam

Things have become more difficult recently, with citizens having to do without electricity for up to 14 hours / day.

Mercedes, our Quito -based colleague in charge of helping our guests plan their mainland extensions writes: “for this week, in my house the power outages is from 7:00 to 15:00 and from 18:00 to 24:00”.

Mercedes goes on to report on how this affects daily life:

“This problem is affecting the economy severely. Big companies have their power plants, but small businesses don´t. They can have small generators but they will not be enough for so many hours. 

I have a very small generator that help to have internet for a couple hours, but nothing more.  And at the moment, there are no generators available. You can buy one, but now they are over the $1000 and you have to wait a couple weeks to get one.

Regarding our guests, I don’t think this will affect them. The hotel has a big generator that supplies the entire hotel, both rooms, hot water, WIFI and social areas. The airport is working normally, as is the cable car. Most restaurants have also their own generator.  Maybe the traffic could be a little complicated, as there are no traffic lights. In this case, during the full day Quito, it could take some more time to go for example to the cable car or return to the historic center.

The driver to and from the airport will not be affected as we use the highways.  All the lodges as Mashpi, Bellavista, have their own generators as well. 

What is affected is the cell phone use. Sometimes, it’s difficult to have signal duing the power outage. 

Since yesterday it has rained again where the hydroelectric dams are located. I hope it continues raining!  It seems that with the rain of these days, the power outages hours will be reduced. Hopefully. Until the government announced something different, we continue with the power outages between 10 to 14 hours daily."

Our other Quito-based colleague (Tannya, who helps match ships/itineraries/dates with guest requirements) reports:

“As in Quito and all cities in the country, some stores in the historic center have a generator for a few hours, in effect, it causes noise and pollution, but they try to get ahead with their activities. In the case of hotels and big restaurants, they have their generators for the whole day.  The Tour Bus is offering the visits regularly.  The power outage in Quito,as all cities, varies weekly by sector. This week the power outage in my area is from 6 to 11AM and 3 to 11PM.”

Based on the reports we have from our colleagues, it seems that our guests can still enjoy a relatively problem free visit to mainland Ecuador.

In Galapagos, power is generated mainly by oil-fired electrical generators, augmented by some aeolian generators. 

 

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