Ecuador plans to award contracts for 511MW in 10 solar, wind and hydroelectric projects worth about $800mn in February after all bids opened today came in below required price caps, electricity vice minister Enith Carrion said.

The tender launched in December 2021 to install up to 150MW in mini-hydroelectric plant capacity, 200MW in wind projects, 120MW in solar photovoltaic and 30MW in biomass or biogas generation by 2025.

Ecuador can proceed to final negotiations as all projects presented generation prices below the caps set in the tender for selling power to the national grid. For hydroelectric generation, the price cap was 5.24¢/kWh; for photovoltaic generation, 6.78¢/kWh; and for wind projects; 6.11¢/kWh. There were no offers for biomass or biogas power.

In November 2011, 10 private companies presented 14 projects for the tender. Four of them were disqualified for not meeting the technical requirements, Carrion said.

The San Jacinto consortium bid on building the 49.9MW San Jacinto hydroelectric project with a generation price of 5.22¢/kWh.

The firm Neoen presented a generation price of 5.39¢/kWh for the 60MW Imbabura solar plant; 4.98¢/kWh for the 60MW Intillana solar plant and 4.97¢/kWh for the 60MW Ambi solar plant.

Dominium Energy presented a generation price of 6.69¢/kWh for the 60MW Cajas photovoltaic project, while the Santa Rosa Energy consortium presented a generation price of 4.55¢/kWh for a 49.5MW hydroelectric plant.

The El Rosario Energy consortium presented a generation price of 4.8¢/kWh for a 49.5MW hydroelectric plant, while the Cez Esco consortium presented a generation price of 6.49¢/kWh for a 17.6MW photovoltaic farm.

Finally, French Total Eren firm presented a generation price of 6.06¢/kWh for the 44.81MW Yanahurco wind farm and a generation price of 5.96¢/kWh for the 60.16MW Nana Pura photovoltaic facility.

For hydroelectric projects, the government will sign 30-year contracts, 25-year contracts for wind and solar photovoltaic projects and 20 years for biomass and biogas generation. Contracts will be signed in March-April, pending approval from the finance ministry.

Ecuador has been suffering from severe droughts that have cut output at its main hydroelectric plants since September. Thermoelectric energy consumption increased by 85pc in 2022 compared with the previous year, and the imports from neighboring Colombia and Peru rose by 27pc in the same period.