CELEC Has No Awards Across 205 MW Emergency Thermal Rental Pipeline

CELEC's emergency thermal rental pipeline is not converting into awarded capacity.

Procurement Status

Primicias reports that Corporacion Electrica del Ecuador (CELEC) planned to contract 205 MW in rented thermal generation to mitigate the risk of power cuts in 2026. As of May 22, 2026, none of the recent processes had reached award.

Project	Capacity	Status reported by Primicias
Pascuales	50 MW	Declared deserted, then relaunched
Jaramijo	15 MW	Declared deserted on May 6
Miraflores	25 MW	Declared deserted on May 20
Santa Elena	45 MW	Delayed; should already have been awarded
Guangopolo	10 MW	Delayed; should already have been awarded by May 18
Salitral	60 MW	Not yet launched in Sercop

Primicias reports that the Jaramijo process received 19 offers, but all were disqualified for not meeting minimum requirements. Miraflores received seven offers, with the same result.

Process Risks

According to Primicias, the failed Jaramijo and Miraflores processes had common issues. Sercop observations flagged proformas submitted without proper electronic signatures or responsibility signatures, and some providers did not detail execution-stage timelines.

The report also says most disqualifications were tied to bid seriousness guarantees, supplier-registration eligibility, or experience being credited as construction or supply rather than rental-service experience.

CELEC has relaunched only the Pascuales 50 MW process so far. Primicias reports that the relaunched process has a budget of $77.1 million and is scheduled for award by Friday, May 29.

Business Implications

Issue	Signal
Capacity gap	The 205 MW emergency rental package has not become contracted supply.
Procurement execution	Technical eligibility and document-compliance issues are preventing awards.
Supplier opportunity	Pascuales remains active, but other packages require procedural recovery.
Grid risk	Delays reduce the buffer available before dry-season stress.

What to watch

• Whether Pascuales is awarded by May 29.
• Relaunch decisions for Jaramijo and Miraflores.
• Progress on delayed Santa Elena and Guangopolo files.
• Whether Salitral's 60 MW process enters Sercop.

Source: Primicias