Like other South American countries, Ecuador has faced a prolonged dry season.
The new measures come days after President Daniel Noboa said he anticipated the power cuts in the country of 17 million people to gradually decrease.
“We know the sacrifices that are being made in the context of this serious electricity crisis,” minister Manzano said in a video message on X.
Since mid-September, Ecuador has established an electricity rationing system of up to 10 hours a day in some cities, but the power cut hours announced Thursday are the most extreme so far.
The drought affecting several countries in South America has been linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon.