Image showing a dam. (For representation)
Credit: iStock Photo
Quito: Three hydroelectric dams in Ecuador have ceased operating due to low water levels amid the country's worst drought in over 60 years, Energy Minister Antonio Goncalves said on Tuesday.
The dams, known collectively as the Paute Integral, include the major Mazar power plant.
"The strategy now is to conserve Mazar for as long as possible to buy us time so that everything starts arriving," he told Reuters after a press conference, referring to generators and other measures.
On Monday, authorities said power cuts nationwide would run for up to 12 hours a day. Goncalves had said dry season in Ecuador - which is heavily dependent on hydropower - had started two months early.
The cuts across the country are expected to continue through Sunday.