Stelco MD Highlights Rising Power Demand as Male’ Faces Continued Outages

State Electric Company (Stelco) Managing Director Hussain Fahumy has warned that electricity demand in the Malé region is growing at a rate that requires an additional 50 megawatts (MW) every five years, underscoring the urgent need for long-term investments in power generation.

Speaking to public service media – PSM yesterday, Fahumy revealed that a 50 MW power plant in Malé was temporarily switched off between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. for essential maintenance aimed at securing uninterrupted electricity supply. He explained that the existing plant, which was commissioned several years ago, has not been complemented with additional capacity as planned. “If another 50 MW plant had been installed since then, today’s power outage would not have been necessary even with technical work underway,” he said.

Fahumy noted that although 17 MW of electricity was added to the Malé grid last year, it was only a temporary measure and not a permanent solution to the capital’s growing demand. He stressed that the government is already working to establish a new 100 MW power plant, which is expected to be developed in Thilafushi instead of Hulhumalé. However, he pointed out that delays in the Thilamala Bridge project have also posed challenges to these plans.

Power outages in Malé and Hulhumalé earlier this month — on June 1 and 9 — have already drawn public concern. Stelco has since assured that the root cause of the disruptions has been identified and corrective measures are being taken.

Building a new power plant comes at a high cost, Fahumy acknowledged, estimating the investment at between USD 100 million and USD 200 million. “To build a power plant, you need $100 or $200 million. You also look at the financing institution to secure it,” he said, adding that the government inherited a fragile economic situation which has complicated such large-scale projects.

Highlighting structural challenges, he explained that unlike many cities around the world, the Maldives does not have a common electricity grid. Instead, the entire Malé region depends solely on Stelco, making the system more vulnerable to outages.

“Electricity and water are basic services, and there is always concern when outages occur. Our effort is to reduce the duration of power cuts as much as possible. But in the end, everything depends on financial resources,” Fahumy said. He assured the public that solutions are being pursued to ensure reliable power supply in the near future.