Organic Law on the Public Service of Electricity

Ecuador's new Electricity Law, adopted 16 January 2015, explicitly states the objective of promoting renewable energy sources (including biomass from solid waste) and energy efficiency, and makes the state the key actor in the electricity industry. The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy (MEER) oversees renewable energy policy and planning. The generation, transmission, distribution and commercialisation of electricity are defined as public service, to be provided primarily by the public sector, under the guidance of the newly created Agency for Regulation and Control of Electricity (ARCONEL - previously National Electricity Board CONELEC). Transmission and distribution of electricity is under the responsibility of state-(majority)-owned companies. Private entities may build and operate power plants and transmission and distribution lines, as long as their generated power does not exceed 50MW. The law also provides for preferential regulations for renewable energy, in particular prioritizing rural-electrification projects. The Electricity Master Plan and the National Energy Efficiency Plan are to be developed by MEER. The Electricity Law replaces the Electricity Sector Law (11996) in its most recent version.