Quito, Oct 13 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Ecuador concludes today a week marked by blackouts of 10 hours a day, a measure that according to the Government, is due to the critical levels of the reservoirs that supply hydroelectric plants.
The Ecuadorian Business Committee (CEE) warned that the power cuts for the industrial sector could lead to unemployment and shortages of basic products in the nation.
The president of the CEE, María Paz Jervis, described as “incomprehensible and inapplicable” the decision to paralyze the industrial sector for 10 hours a day for 15 consecutive days in the middle of the energy crisis suffered by the country.
According to Jervis, this situation would lead, for example, to an impact on milk production, with some 500 thousand liters of milk unprocessed, and for this reason, she asked the Executive to review the measure.
Specialists warn that hydroelectric plants, responsible for supplying 70 percent of the energy demand, could stop operating due to water shortages.
In the midst of the crisis, last Wednesday, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Antonio Goncalves, resigned and the Government appointed the Minister of Environment, Inés Manzano, as head of the portfolio.
Citizens, politicians and social organizations criticize President Daniel Noboa for the management of the energy crisis. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA