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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Energy & Infrastructure

Ecuador Restores National Electricity Service After Substation Explosion

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Ecuador's national electricity service was restored after an explosion at the Paute substation caused widespread outages.
  • The incident occurred at the Molino Substation at 02:07 on Tuesday, June 30, affecting major cities like Quito and Guayaquil.
  • Emergency protocols were activated, and temporary measures, including increased generation from Coca Codo Sinclair, helped stabilize the system.

Ecuador's national electricity service has been fully restored following a significant explosion at the Paute hydroelectric complex's Molino Substation early Tuesday morning. The incident, which occurred at 02:07 on June 30, caused the Paute complex to disconnect from the National Interconnected System, leading to widespread power outages in major cities including Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, and Loja.

Juan Carlos Blum, the Minister of Environment and Energy, confirmed the national supply was back online thanks to coordinated technical efforts between sector entities. The Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador (Celec EP) immediately activated emergency protocols to protect and recover the national electrical system. Working with the National Electricity Operator (Cenace) and distribution companies, they implemented necessary maneuvers for a safe and progressive recovery.

To maintain grid stability during the recovery phase, Cenace ordered programmed disconnections in various sectors. The Coca Codo Sinclair Hydroelectric Plant temporarily increased its power generation to compensate for the energy deficit caused by the Paute complex's outage. Celec EP stated these actions protected critical national infrastructure and allowed for the swift restoration of service. Specialized personnel are currently assessing the damage at the Molino Substation to determine the cause of the explosion.

The supply of electricity was restored nationwide thanks to the technical and coordinated work between the entities in the electricity sector.

— Juan Carlos BlumMinister of Environment and Energy, confirming the restoration of power.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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