The Colombian government will not resume the export of electricity to Ecuador, punished by a historic drought which has put the production of hydroelectric plants in check, said the Ecuadorian Minister of Energy, Inés Manzano, this Tuesday.
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Manzano met in Colombia with his counterpart from that country, Andrés Camacho, who rejected his request to resume energy exports to Ecuador. suspended since October 9, given that Colombia also faces a year with little rainfall.
“Seeing its reservoirs and the entry of rain (to Colombia), we would believe that it was possible (to buy energy), but I must also respect Minister Camacho’s decision”The minister of Ecuador told Noticias Caracol, where the population suffers up to 14 hours of power cuts a day.
The energy ministers met within the framework of COP16 being held in the city of Cali. The rains have gradually returned to Colombia during October, although the capital continues to face water cuts due to low levels in the reservoirs that supply it. “We ratify our commitment to energy exchange, as long as conditions improve”Camacho explained on the social network X.
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COP16
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Ecuador, with 17 million inhabitantshas a demand of about 4,600 Mw and faces a deficit of 1,600 Mw. Colombia supplied its neighbor with 450 MW. “We know of the difficult circumstances that our brother people are going through, integration and collaboration is necessary”Camacho added.
The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, is also at COP16 and announced on Sunday that he will meet with his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, to talk about the purchase of energy. The Ecuadorian president suggested that Petro’s refusal is due to “to a more ideological than political issue.”
Petro’s agenda for this Tuesday includes a bilateral meeting with Noboa. The Colombian president condemned the invasion in April of the Mexican embassy in Quito by Ecuadorian forces who detained the former vice president of their country, Jorge Glas.
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AFP
