Colombia has halted electricity exports to neighboring Ecuador as hydropower plants reach near-critical levels due to a biting drought, the government said late on Monday.
The severe drought, linked to the El Nino climate phenomenon, has also led to water rationing affecting 10 million people in the capital Bogota and the surrounding area.
Minister of Mines and Energy Andres Camacho told journalists that the country, which gets most of its energy from hydroelectric sources, is taking “all measures” to avoid energy cuts.
“Since Easter week we have restricted energy exports to Ecuador. At the moment we are not exporting electricity,” Minister of Mines and Energy Andres Camacho told journalists.
According to the national electricity company XM, the water reservoirs are currently at 29.8 percent of their capacity. A level of 27 percent is considered crucial.
Camacho said rain is expected soon to end the dry spell and high temperatures that also led to hundreds of forest fires in the country earlier this year.
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