Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has declared an energy emergency as the country grapples with a drought that has severely reduced hydroelectric power production.
The drought caused by El Nino has affected production at hydroelectric dams, Ecuador’s main source of electricity, leading the country’s Ministry of Energy to announce nationwide power cuts on April 15. The energy crisis has worsened as President Noboa has ordered an investigation into suspected “sabotage” ahead of a security referendum scheduled for April 21.
The Colombian government has announced a temporary halt to electricity exports to Ecuador as the country's hydroelectric plants are running low on capacity due to a severe drought. The severe drought, linked to the El Nino climate phenomenon, has also led to water shortages affecting 10 million people in the capital Bogota and surrounding areas. The Colombian measure has also exacerbated the power shortage in Ecuador.
Colombia’s reservoirs are currently at 29.8% capacity, close to the critically low 27%, according to the national grid operator XM. Forecasts indicate early rains will ease the drought and high temperatures that led to hundreds of forest fires in the country earlier this year.
Both Colombia and Ecuador rely on hydroelectric power plants to meet their citizens’ energy needs. “If demand continues to increase and the energy mix in these countries is not diversified, they will continue to be vulnerable,” Camilo Prieto, a climate change professor at Javeriana University in Bogota, told Global News.
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