- Ecuador experienced a nationwide blackout on Wednesday
- Approximately 18 million people without power for several hours
- The outage caused significant disruptions
- A minister has said the blackout was due to a lack of investment in the electrical infrastructure and an energy crisis in the country
- Hours after the blackout, 95% of the country’s electricity had been restored
Ecuador hit by nationwide blackout, minister says
Ecuador experienced a nationwide blackout on Wednesday, leaving approximately 18 million people without power for several hours. The outage caused significant disruptions, including halting the subway system in Quito and disabling traffic lights in the capital.
Public Works Minister Roberto Luque said the blackout was due to a lack of investment in the electrical infrastructure. In a post on X, he stated, “For years we have stopped investing in these systems and today we are experiencing the consequences.” He highlighted that this incident is further proof of the ongoing energy crisis in the country.
This is not the first time Ecuador has faced power issues. In April, a drought led to planned blackouts, affecting major cities for hours. Wednesday’s incident was described as “major” by Quito Mayor Pabel Muñoz, noting that it even disrupted the metro, which operates on a separate power system. The Quito metro confirmed the interruption was due to a general failure in the national interconnected electrical energy system.
Educational institutions across Ecuador suspended night classes, moving them online in response to the power outage. Some hours after the blackout began, Minister Luque announced that 95% of the country’s electricity had been restored, attributing the issue to the failure of a transmission line. He noted that most of Ecuador’s energy supply comes from neighbouring Colombia.