Instead, President Daniel Noboa appointed the State portfolio to Inés Manzano, Minister of the Environment.

Antonio Goncalves resigned from the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Ecuador on Wednesday. In his place, President Daniel Noboa appointed the State portfolio to Inés Manzano, Minister of the Environment, the Presidency of the Republic confirmed in an official statement.

Goncalves' departure came hours after the national broadcast on Wednesday morning, in which he reported that long power cuts were resuming throughout the country for up to ten hours a day.

Goncalves said that the measure is being taken because the level of the Mazar dam, located in Azuay, is close to its minimum limit and projections indicate that immediate and firm decisions are needed to avoid a collapse in the national electrical system.

He said that the measures taken so far have not been sufficient to stabilise the situation in the country.

The statement issued by the Presidency indicates that the new Minister of Energy, in charge, "will lead the transformation of an outdated matrix" that has "stagnant" the country to depend on 72% of rainfall to generate energy.

In addition, the official "will implement renewable energy projects, already underway by this Government, that guarantee sustainability and energy sovereignty in the medium and long term," says the text, which thanks the outgoing minister for his services.

Octaviano Antonio Goncalves Savinovich has been in charge of the Ministry of Energy since July 3, replacing Roberto Luque, who managed the entity on assignment after the departure of Andrea Arrobo, the first female minister in the sector in the Government of Daniel Noboa.