Power outages hit major cities in Ecuador amid grid strain

Widespread power outages affected homes in Quito and Guayaquil overnight from October 13 to October 14. The cuts also impacted other cities, including Ambato and Loja. The outages occurred shortly after President Daniel Noboa promised that no family would lose power during the dry spell. The government later withdrew an order that would have kept thousands of firms without electricity for a week.

The outages indicate that the energy grid in Ecuador is under strain before the arrival of El Niño. The disruption affects major commercial and residential centers, raising concerns about systemic economic stability.