Coca Codo Problems Triggered Power Cuts Across Azuay and Rural Cuenca
Cuenca Expat Staff
If your lights blinked out on Thursday, the problem may have started far from Cuenca.
El Mercurio reports that Ecuador's Ministry of Energy attributed massive outages on May 21, 2026 to problems at the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant after an extraordinary rise in sediment from swollen rivers affected normal operation.
Where The Cuts Hit Locally
The report says Centrosur registered outages in Azuay, Canar and Morona Santiago.
In the local service area, El Mercurio named Macas, rural Cuenca, Gualaceo, Chordeleg, Banos, Sevilla de Oro and Limon Norte among the places left without power.
Why Coca Codo Matters
El Mercurio reports that Coca Codo Sinclair has a maximum generation capacity of 1,500 megawatts and usually operates between 700 and 1,200 megawatts on average.
At 16:00 on May 21, Cenace reported that the plant was producing only 5% of its normal output when operating at maximum capacity.
The Ministry of Energy said the electric sector activated operational actions and additional generation to mitigate the effects and restore normal conditions as soon as possible.
For Cuenca residents, the practical takeaway is simple: even when the failure is not local, Azuay can feel it quickly. Keep devices charged, and assume rural parishes may see slower normalization when a national generation problem hits.
Source: El Mercurio
