The 2009 Ecuador electricity crisis was caused by a severe

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

that depleted water levels at

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

plants.

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

experienced

rolling blackout A rolling blackout, also referred to as rota or rotational load shedding, rota disconnection, feeder rotation, or a rotating outage, is an intentionally engineered electrical power shutdown in which electricity delivery is stopped for non-overla ...

s for two to six hours per day that lasted from November 2009 until January 2010.

Background

The electricity crisis arose from Ecuador's worst drought in 40 years, which began in September 2009.“Drought Blamed for Blackouts in Ecuador”
'' Latin American Herald Tribune'' (November 11, 2009). Government experts attributed the drought to the El Niño phenomenon. Because of the drought, water levels at the Paute River dam—which normally supplies 40% of Ecuador's power—were extremely low. The reservoir's water level is normally 1,991 meters above sea level, but on November 10 was only 1,968 meters above sea level. The minimum level is 1,965 meters. As of November 11, only two of the dam's 10 turbines were functioning. Normally, the dam can supply up to 1,000 megawatts (MW), but the dam's output was only 200 MW on this day.

Effects

Beginning November 5, rolling blackouts took place across Ecuador for two to six hours per day.Mercedes Alvaro
“Ecuador Negotiates Emergency Electricity Imports With Peru”
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' (November 9, 2009). Government officials also urged citizens to conserve energy. Economic losses from the blackouts are estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars; factory output slowed, and storage of perishables was disrupted. On November 6, the government declared an emergency in the power sector, which was expected to "allow the Finance Ministry to seek to guarantee fuel imports for

thermoelectric The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice versa via a thermocouple. A thermoelectric device creates a voltage when there is a different temperature on each side. Conversely, when ...

plants". The government also agreed to purchase additional electricity from

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. Government officials aimed to end power rationing before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

.“Ecuador Aims to End Power Rationing Before Christmas”
'' Latin American Herald Tribune'' (November 17, 2009). The power crisis led to criticism of the

Correa Correa may refer to: * Correa (surname) * Correa (insect), ''Correa'' (insect), a genus of beetles in the family Staphylinidae * Correa (plant), ''Correa'' (plant), a genus of Australian plants named after Portuguese botanist José Correia da Serr ...

administration's management of the power sector as water levels of the reservoirs became depleted. In mid-January 2010, the blackouts were "suspended indefinitely",http://www.bnamericas.com/news/electricpower/Government_suspends_rationing_indefinitely
/ref> following increased water levels and the acquisition of several generators. In February, Ecuador stopped the import of electricity from Colombia and Peru.

Background

Effects

References

See also