Colombia has suspended electricity exports to Ecuador as both countries face a decline in their hydropower plants.
El Niño-induced drought has forced Colombia to cut electricity exports to neighboring Ecuador, and the country has declared an energy emergency.
Ecuador's President Daniel Novoa, speaking in Guayaquil on Tuesday, acknowledged that the country's energy sector is in a critical situation.
“Today we took the strong decision to declare a state of emergency in the country's energy sector – and we had to do it again,” Novoa said.
Both Colombia and Ecuador rely on hydroelectric power plants to meet the energy needs of their citizens. However, due to the effects of the drought, water levels are falling, including in the reservoirs used for electricity.
A minimal flow of water is required to rotate the turbines used to power hydroelectric power plants.
However, Colombian power company XM estimates that the country's reservoirs are currently at 29.8 percent of capacity. The country is rationing water in areas such as the capital Bogotá.
Colombia's Mining and Energy Minister Andres Camacho told reporters late Monday that the country was dealing with the drought by slowing electricity exports.
“Since Easter week, we have restricted energy exports to Ecuador. We are not exporting electricity at this time,” Camacho said.
Camacho's Ecuadorian counterpart, Andrea Arobo Peña, released her own statement on Monday about the “unprecedented situation” facing the country and the region.
She announced that there would be power outages and rationing to deal with energy shortages.
“Due to the length of the drought, rising temperatures, lack of maintenance over the past few years of the entire electrical system infrastructure, and the presence of historically low water flows, all available management plants are operating,” she said. the department said.in statement.
“Therefore, as we face this reality together, we urge you to consider that every drop of water and unconsumed kilowatt counts, and to support efforts to reduce energy consumption during this critical week. I appeal to all Ecuadorians as citizens.”
But on Tuesday, President Novoa announced that he had asked Minister Arobo Peña to resign. He also cited corruption and sabotage in the energy sector.
“We have started investigating sabotage in certain areas and power plants,” he said. I have written on social media.
He vowed to apply the “full weight of the law” to any bad actors uncovered during the investigation.
“The problems in Ecuador's energy sector in recent years are not due to a lack of technical proposals, but to a lack of implementation and decisiveness in the fight against deep-rooted corruption,” Noboa said.
Camilo Prieto, a climate change professor at Bogotá's Javeriana University, told The Associated Press that this year's drought is not as bad as in the past.
But countries like Ecuador and Colombia are increasing their energy consumption, making their populations more vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions brought on by El Niño, Prieto warned.
“If demand continues to grow and their energy mixes do not diversify, these countries will remain vulnerable,” Prieto said.