Drought hits hydroelectric dam, triggers energy crisis in Ecuador
The National Center for Energy Control (Cenace) said water was currently flowing at 50 cubic meters per second, far below the dam's 120-cubic-meter capacity.
"If we do not start rationing energy use, we could be talking about new power cuts here," said Rene Morales, director of the Hidropaute hydroelectric station.
Although Cenace issued an alert last week in response to the shortages, there is no evidence consumers have reduced electricity use. The warning has even been ignored by the country's government departments, Radio Quito reported.
The ministries of Agriculture, Foreign Trade and Environment did not have any consumption reduction plan, it said.
Natural disasters had already caused problems for Ecuador's power production. For example, the eruption of the Tungurahua Volcano has halted production at the country's another major power station - Hydroagoyan.
Cenace director Gabriel Arguello said demand for electricity had risen by 7 or 8 percent in recent days. Ecuadorians voluntarily reduced consumption by 5 percent from October to January to ease power shortages, Arguello said.
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TOKYO - Japan’s Hitachi Ltd said on Thursday it has decided to freeze a 3 trillion yen ($28 billion) British nuclear power project and will consequently book a write down of 300 billion yen.
The suspension comes as Hitachi’s Horizon Nuclear Power failed to find private investors for its plans to build a plant in Anglesey, Wales, which promised to provide about 6 percent of Britain’s electricity.
“We’ve made the decision to freeze the project from the economic standpoint as a private company,” Hitachi said in a statement.
Hitachi had called on the British government to boost financial support for the project to…
