Energy leaders gather in Ecuador

 

Industry representatives and government officials gathered at the National Seminar of the Ecuadorian Electricity Sector organised by the Ecuadorian World Energy Council members committee when it met to address the future of the electricity sector in Ecuador.

One of the main objectives of the meeting was to share experiences of different companies in the energy sector in order to facilitate policies that will assist the development of a sustainable energy policy for Ecuador.  A key topic was the Trilemma challenges and how to address the economic, social and political issues facing the country.

One of the major challenges facing Ecuador is the provision of electricity to rural areas within the parameters of achieving a balance between revenue and costs of operation and maintenance.  The Government has set ambitious policies, and how to achieve them within each dimension of Trilemma will be a key factor to success.

Another major issue facing Ecuador is natural disasters. Risk analysis and contingency planning in relation to the possible effects on energy supplies in the event of a natural disaster was keenly debated during the three day event.   The meeting generated a range of ideas that Ecuador can use in future in help build a framework for the future development of its energy policies.

“This seminar is just the beginning of a series of seminars, which we will be organising again in association with ECUACIER (the Ecuadorian Committee of the Regional Energy Integration Commission).  Everyone has a role to play, including universities – engineering developments must be rooted in science.”

Petroamazonas, represented the oil sector for the first time at a Ecuadorian World Energy Council seminar and presented the results of a project to optimise power generation that included the development of tools for electrical implementation in areas of eastern Ecuador where there is no service. It was clear that by bringing together every element of the energy sector at the meeting valuable insights were provided to enable industry and policymakers to identify key areas for action.

More than 100 papers were presented on topics such as the challenges of energy policy in Ecuador and how the national government is driving the transformation of the energy matrix to move to cheaper and cleaner energy systems.  Examples of change included the construction of hydroelectric plants which will begin operation in 2016, and the introduction of alternative energy solutions such as a highly efficient wind farm in the Villonaco.

The meeting, which was attended by the Ecuadorian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, was held in association with the Ecuadorian Committee of the Regional Energy Integration Commission, ECUACIER , and Express Electica Riobamba S.A.