The State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has announced scheduled power interruptions in Malé on Monday, June 16, 2025 (today), as part of essential maintenance to upgrade the city’s electrical network.
From 09:30 to 11:30, electricity will be temporarily suspended in Dhanburu Magu, Anona Goalhi, and Kudhima Goalhi in Malé. A second outage is planned from 14:00 to 16:00, affecting Boduthakurufaanu Magu and its adjoining narrow alley. STELCO emphasises that these brief outages are necessary to conduct safe retrofitting and energisation of key infrastructure components, and apologises for any temporary disruption to residents and businesses .
This maintenance comes in the wake of a six-hour blackout on June 1 that disrupted electricity across Malé, Hulhumalé and Vilimalé. The power failure was traced to a fault in the Greater Malé interconnection grid via the Sinamalé Bridge—an issue STELCO’s Technical Officer attributed to insufficient backup capacity at the Malé power plant . An official probe ordered by the President is ongoing, and STELCO has pledged greater transparency and resilience efforts moving forward .
The current work builds on STELCO’s strategic long-term initiative to strengthen Greater Malé’s power system. Last year, the company issued a tender inviting proposals for solar installations, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and 132 kV grid upgrades—steps towards integrating renewables and reducing reliance on diesel generation . These efforts align with the national Energy Roadmap, which mandates expanding solar capacity to 160 MW and substantially increasing BESS by 2028 to meet the Maldives’ clean energy goals .
While short-term outages can inconvenience households and businesses, they are a vital investment in grid robustness and energy security. Industry experts confirm that such proactive upgrades—incorporating renewables and storage—are key to mitigating unplanned blackouts and stabilising small island power systems .
What residents should know and do:
- The morning outage lasts from 09:30–11:30 and the afternoon blackout from 14:00–16:00.
- STELCO advises residents to charge important devices (phones, laptops) and switch off sensitive electronics in advance.
- For updates or extended outages, reach out to STELCO’s customer service hotline.
By modernising the grid now, STELCO aims to build a cleaner, more reliable electricity network across Greater Malé—one capable of sustaining future growth and achieving national sustainability targets.
