Quito, Oct 15 (IANS): Ecuador will continue to experience power outages due to an energy shortage caused by drought until the end of the year, Energy Minister Ines Manzano announced.

"Until the end of December, we are going to have minimal power cuts," Manzano told local television station Teleamazonas on Monday, adding that the government was taking steps to reduce the duration of power cuts which could last up to 10 hours.

Manzano assured citizens that power availability would improve by late November, saying, "We will control, improve, and compensate for the service interruptions."

Ecuador is facing its worst drought in six decades, which has led to a 1,080-megawatt energy deficit, Xinhua news agency reported.

The energy crisis worsened on September 30, after Colombia, also suffering from severe drought, announced the temporary suspension of electricity exports to Ecuador.

The blackouts in Ecuador have severely impacted productivity, with business losses estimated at $12 million for every hour of power outage.