Illustrative image: high-voltage power lines. Photo: Fré Sonneveld / Unsplash (Unsplash License). Not taken in Ecuador.
Ecuador used 13% more electricity in the first nine months of 2026 than in the same period last year, according to data from the national grid operator Cenace published by Primicias on October 28. The jump comes as the dry season in the Amazon basin, home to the country’s largest hydroelectric plants, reduces generation and the government asks households to save power.
The numbers
- January–September 2026: 27,532 GWh, against 24,313 GWh in the same months of 2025 (+13%).
- September 2026 alone: 3,141 GWh, up 17% from 2,675 GWh a year earlier.
- Consumption grew 42% between 2019 and 2025 and 9.2% in 2025, according to engineer Alejandro Jaya, quoted by Primicias.
In August, Expreso reported that Cenace projected 2026 demand growth of 11.13%, the largest in seven years, with average demand of 4,265.5 MW and a supply gap of about 1,300 MW. The January–September figures suggest growth is running above that projection.
What is driving demand
Mining. The Mirador copper mine, run by Ecuacorriente, uses about 83 MW and the Fruta del Norte gold mine, run by Lundin Gold, about 20 MW. Both began operating in 2019. A government decree requires large consumers like these to install their own generation by December 2026.
Shrimp. Ecuador’s main non-oil export needs power for refrigeration, pumping and hatcheries, and the sector keeps expanding, Jaya said.
Electric cars. Sales between January and September reached 10,073 units, almost four times the 2,694 sold a year earlier, according to the car dealers’ association Aeade. Primicias linked the rise to the 2025 cut in registration fees to $10 and to VAT and ICE tax exemptions.
Heat and the economy. A strong heat wave hit the coast in the first half of the year, and El Niño has kept coastal temperatures above normal in September and October, pushing up air-conditioning use. President Daniel Noboa said in a radio interview on October 26 that consumption reflects more sales, exports and construction, and that Ecuador must keep up with demand growing “above 11% a year”.
Why it matters
Ecuador went through long power cuts in 2024 when drought hit its hydro plants. Since September 2026 the government has ordered high-consumption industries to disconnect from the grid at times, and Primicias noted that demand growth would have been even higher without those measures. The Ministry of Energy has asked citizens to conserve electricity. The country is heading into the November 1–3 holiday, when tourism operators expect travel spending to rise, according to another Primicias report.
Confirmed and pending
Confirmed: Cenace consumption figures and the drivers cited by experts and the president. Pending: peak-demand figures for October, whether new rationing schedules will be needed during the dry season, and progress on the large consumers’ own generation before the December deadline.
Sources
- Primicias — Why electricity consumption has soared in Ecuador (Oct 28, 2026)
- Expreso — Ecuador’s energy demand hits its fastest growth in seven years (Aug 3, 2026)
- Primicias — Tourism sector expects 5% more spending over the November holiday
Acsana Bander · Economy · Virtual editorial byline
English adaptation: Lin Wei · Editorial direction: Leonidas Ferraz · October 29, 2026 · AI-assisted writing
