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Galapagos does not have power outages, unlike continental Ecuador: its electricity generation depends on diesel thermal power plants

Galapagos is the only province in the country that does not experience power outages, as it is not part of the National Interconnected System. In contrast, continental Ecuador faces constant blackouts, which have caused million-dollar losses, aggravating the economic crisis that the country is experiencing.

Electricity generation on the islands depends almost entirely on the supply of diesel for the thermal power plants on each island, in addition to solar energy (photovoltaic), wind, and dual engines that use biofuels.

‘If the Amazon becomes extinct, the humidity necessary for hydroelectric plants and to irrigate crops also disappears,’ says Analiz Vergara, WWF official.

According to data from the 2023 accounting of the Galápagos Electric Company, which has data until December of that year, the archipelago consumed 79 gigawatts per hour in 2023. 90.4% of that energy came from thermal plants and the remaining forms of renewable generation. The electrical entity did not respond to EL UNIVERSO’s interview requests.

The 4 populated islands (in addition to Baltra, home of the ecological airport) have thermal and photovoltaic generation capacity, but only the Santa Cruz-Baltra system and that of San Cristóbal Island have wind production as well. Despite this, the institution’s strategic objective of achieving 18% renewable electricity generation was not met last year, nor in 2022, when it was 12%.

Thus, Galapagos has 4 thermal generation plants, 2 wind farms, 5 photovoltaic plants and energy storage systems.

The 180 kilowatts that the State will subsidize are equivalent to half the consumption of an average family

According to an open database of the Agency for the Control and Regulation of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources, the Galapagos Electric Company covered the energy demand of 11,575 residential clients last July, and collected $218,716, more than the $204,450 billed that month.

In total, in July 2024, the electricity generation entity in Galapagos had 14,726 clients between residential, commercial, industrial, public lighting and others, and collected $646,982 for the service.

According to the accountability of the Galapagos Electric Company, 81% of the energy consumption by tariff corresponds to residential and commercial clients.

‘There is no forecast of rain for the next few weeks,’ says the mayor of Cuenca, while authorities monitor the Mazar reservoir

Fabián Sócola, a resident of the archipelago, says that 20 years ago the islands were left in darkness after midnight, but that the situation has improved in the last decade. Now there are cuts in certain areas due to specific repairs or structural damage.

The value of the electricity bill, in addition, depends on the time of year. Sócola says he pays between $25 and $30 a month for his household of 4 members in the cold season, from June to December, and about $80 from January to May, when it is hotter and air conditioning systems are used more.

Adrian Viña, who also lives on the islands, pays about $30 in the cold season and $50 when they start using the air conditioning more in their home. In contrast, Darío Jiménez, another resident of the archipelago.

Source: https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/informes/galapagos-no-tiene-cortes-de-luz-a-diferencia-del-ecuador-continental-su-generacion-electrica-depende-de-centrales-termicas-a-diesel-nota/

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