The Ecuadorian government has announced further details about its second round of additional energy contracts to face the energy emergency and supply electricity to the country when hydroelectric production decreases. After discussing with the private sector during the preparation period for its second procurement process and receiving 142 proposals from 55 companies (of which 133 met the requirements) Ecuador expects to incorporate about 788 MW of additional power. The country aims to acquire barges as an immediate solution to avoid blackouts, planning to locate the acquired or leased assets next to existing generation and transmission facilities from the state-owned power utility Electric Corporation of Ecuador (CELEC). In the medium term, Ecuador counts with the commissioning of the 250 MW Toachi Pilatón hydro project in April 2025, while two blocks of renewable projects (200 MW and 900 MW) will be offered for a more long-term solution to the energy crisis.
Ecuador’s first procurement round leased a total capacity of 341 MW, consisting of a 100 MW barge leased from the Turkish company Karpowership (already operational), a 100 MW El Salitral thermal project, and 141 MW of electricity generation engines 91 MW Esmeraldas and the 50 MW Quevedo that are in the process of implementation. Total capacity in Ecuador reached 8.9 GW at the end of 2023. It is mainly hydroelectric (58%), followed by oil with 31% and gas with 9%.
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