2009 Ecuador electricity crisis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2009 Ecuador electricity crisis was caused by a severe drought that depleted water levels at hydroelectric plants. Ecuador experienced rolling blackouts for two to six hours per day that lasted from November 2009 until January 2010.
The electricity crisis arose from Ecuador's worst drought in 40 years, which began in September 2009.[1][2] Government experts attributed the drought to the El Niño phenomenon.[2] Because of the drought, water levels at the Paute River dam—which normally supplies 40% of Ecuador's power—were extremely low.[1] The reservoir's water level is normally 1,991 meters above sea level, but on November 10 was only 1,968 meters above sea level.[1] The minimum level is 1,965 meters.[1] As of November 11, only two of the dam's 10 turbines were functioning.[1] Normally, the dam can supply up to 1,000 megawatts (MW), but the dam's output was only 200 MW on this day.[1]
