Articles
Business intelligence and analysis on Ecuador
CELEC Has No Awards Across 205 MW Emergency Thermal Rental Pipeline
CELEC's plan to contract 205 MW in rented thermal generation has not produced an award as of May 22. Primicias reports Pascuales, Jaramijó and Miraflores have already faced deserted processes while Santa Elena and Guangopolo remain delayed.
Campo Amistad Adds 3M Cubic Feet per Day, Lifting Gas Output to 27.6M Cubic Feet
Campo Amistad increased daily natural-gas production by 3 million cubic feet after work on Amistad 7, Primicias reports. Total output reached 27.6 million cubic feet, with Petroecuador planning additional interventions on wells 8, 14 and 9.
ARCH Opens Sanction Proceedings Against 18 Fuel Marketers Over 448 Station Stock Reports
Ecuador's hydrocarbons regulator opened sanction proceedings against 18 fuel marketers for not reporting stocks at 448 stations between May 9 and May 12. ARCH says the omissions obstruct dispatch management and service continuity; distributors argue the shortage was caused by government import logistics.
Comptroller Audit Finds $18.8M in Petroecuador Liabilities in Sacha Contract Liquidation
Ecuador's Comptroller approved a special examination assigning $18.8 million in civil and administrative responsibilities to Petroecuador over the liquidation of a Campo Sacha gas-compression contract. The audit cites unjustified retroactive interest and omitted collection of fines and receivables.
Ecuador Funds $19.7M Compensation on April CNEL Electricity Bills for Consumption Up to 180 kWh
Ecuador will compensate $19.7 million on April electricity bills for CNEL customers consuming up to 180 kWh under Executive Decree 379. The measure covers about 1.83 million CNEL clients, with April bills delivered by email in the last two weeks of May.
Esmeraldas Refinery Restarts FCC Unit May 15; Gasoline and Domestic Gas Resume, Diesel Premium Deferred to June 2
Petroecuador restarted the Esmeraldas refinery's FCC unit on May 15, 2026, resuming domestic gas and gasoline production. Diesel premium output is deferred to June 2. Ecuador had been importing 65% of fuel demand during the outage that had the refinery at 41% of its 110,000 bpd capacity.
Esmeraldas Refinery at 33-40% Capacity With FCC Unit Offline; Ecuador Now Imports 65% of Fuel Demand
Ecuador's Esmeraldas refinery is operating at 33-40% of its 110,000 bbl/d capacity with the critical FCC unit offline, forcing the country to import 65% of fuel demand. Diesel broke the $3/gallon threshold for the first time on May 12. Petroecuador targets an FCC restart on May 15.
Caso Progen: Judicial Documents Trace $110M Through Personal Accounts — 21 Individuals Face Embezzlement Charges May 14
Judicial documents in the Progen case reveal that USD 110 million in advance payments for 49 thermoelectric generators — none of which became operational — were distributed through personal accounts at the Federal Reserve and Regions Bank. Charges against 21 individuals are scheduled for May 14.
Ecuador's Fuel Subsidy Band System Is Failing: Diesel Subsidies Hit $160M/Month as International Prices Surge
Ecuador's fuel band pricing system — designed to gradually eliminate subsidies — is producing the opposite effect. International diesel prices surged up to 66.8% in March 2026, but the system caps monthly increases at 5%, forcing the state to absorb a growing gap. Diesel subsidies alone now run approximately $160 million per month.
Energy Supply Brief: 270 MW Offline at Minas San Francisco, Karpowership Barge Renewal Stalled, New Minister's Corporate Ties Under Scrutiny
Ecuador's electricity supply margin tightened further this week as the 270 MW Minas San Francisco plant went offline for mandatory reservoir maintenance through May 16, while the Karpowership Emre Bey barge's contract renewal remains suspended by Sercop procurement objections. Meanwhile, new Energy Minister Juan Carlos Blum's shareholdings in a state-contracting consultancy raise governance questions.
Second Thermal Procurement Failure in Two Weeks: Celec Pascuales 50 MW Contract Declared Desert
Celec declared the 50 MW Pascuales thermal generation rental process desert on May 4, with all four bidders disqualified. Combined with the El Descanso III failure on April 27, Ecuador has lost 70 MW of planned emergency generation capacity ahead of the October dry season.
Cenace Projects 18% Blackout Probability for October-March Dry Season
Ecuador's national grid operator Cenace has modeled an 18% probability of rolling blackouts during the October 2026-March 2027 dry season, driven by the loss of Colombian energy imports and recurring shutdowns at the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant.