A failure in an energy transmission line has caused a blackout throughout Ecuador, the government reported, days after announcing that there would be new power outages in the country due to production problems.
Quito, Ecuador– A failure in a power transmission line this Wednesday caused an unexpected blackout throughout Ecuador, the government said, days after announcing that there would be power outages in the country due to production problems.
Ecuador’s Energy Minister Roberto Luque said in a message posted on energy.
He added that efforts are being made to solve the problem and repair the faulty power lines as soon as possible.
In some sectors of the country the outage lasted 20 minutes, but media outlets and social media users reported that the problem continued in most cities.
Emilia Cevallos, a waitress at a restaurant north of the capital, Quito, said the blackout was surprising.
“We thought it was only in this sector, but when we went out we realized that, although some stores had generators connected, most did not have electricity,” he said. “The traffic lights didn’t work either.”
The municipality of Quito said on day X that traffic agents were mobilized to coordinate the flow of traffic. Metro de Quito, the company that operates the city’s subway system, said service was suspended as a result of the power failure.
Since last year, Ecuador has faced an electricity generation crisis that has led to rationing throughout the country. In April, the government of President Daniel Noboa began rationing electricity in the country’s main cities as a drought related to the El Niño weather pattern depleted reservoirs and limited the production of hydroelectric plants that produce about 75% of the country’s energy.
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