Economy & Business - November 2026

Since 12 October there has been a further tightening of electricity rationing for Ecuador’s major industrial consumers. Those in the Alto Voltaje 1 (AV1, or High Voltage 1) and Medio Voltaje (Medium Voltage) groups are subject to disconnections from the power grid for periods of 72 hours, an increase from the previous power cuts of 48 hours. This has reportedly affected 185 companies in the AV1 category, and approximately 8,900 medium-voltage users. Sectors affected include export-oriented agriculture, cold-storage facilities, milling, metalworking, shrimp packing, and banana processing, with many of the affected users concentrated around the port city of Guayaquil. A further government announcement on 30 October declared that industries in the AV1 and AV2 categories would have a four-day power cut from 1 to 4 November; medium voltage businesses were not affected by this restriction.