The Marcel Laniado de Wind Hydroelectric Plant in El Empalme, Guayas province, has resumed operations after scheduled corrective maintenance was completed by the Corporación Eléctrica del Ecuador (CELEC EP). The plant, which has a capacity of 213 megawatts (MW), underwent technical work aimed at improving operational safety and reliability for the national electricity system.
Maintenance activities focused on key hydraulic components. These included replacing sealing gaskets in units 1 and 3 and conducting major repairs on the butterfly valve of unit 2. The technical team from CELEC’s Hidronación Business Unit carried out the dismantling of hydraulic parts, detailed inspections, replacement of seals, adjustments, specialized technical checks, and comprehensive maintenance of butterfly valves across all three generation units. Functional and operational tests were performed before restarting the plant.
The process required draining and then carefully refilling the common pressure pipeline. All steps followed strict technical protocols to ensure the structural integrity of the hydraulic system.
With the plant back online, an additional 213 MW has been added to Ecuador’s electrical grid. This supports both operational stability and national generation capacity.
According to CELEC EP: “This intervention evidences that, with a planned approach by the electric sector driven by the Government of New Ecuador, maintenance can be performed on strategic infrastructure without compromising energy supply, consolidating service reliability for all Ecuadorians.”
