State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has begun training managers and powerhouse heads from newly added island operations as the company prepares to expand its utility services across the Maldives.
The three-day programme, running from September 20 to 22, brings together station managers and acting powerhouse heads from locations in Baa, Lhaviyani and Meemu atolls, as well as K. Huraa.
The training forms part of STELCO’s preparations to take on a significantly larger nationwide role following the government’s decision to dissolve Fenaka Corporation and transfer its utility operations to STELCO.
Speaking at the opening of the programme, STELCO Managing Director Dr Ali Azwar said the expansion would allow the company to introduce its operational standards across the country while working to improve service quality and efficiency.
Azwar said STELCO has already established dedicated teams that are conducting surveys as part of preparations for the nationwide transition.
He said improving the quality of services available to island communities, reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency would be among the key objectives as STELCO expands its network.
According to Azwar, achieving those improvements across the country would provide greater reassurance to communities and represent a significant national achievement.
The training programme is intended to ensure managers responsible for newly added powerhouses are familiar with STELCO’s regulations, procedures and operational standards.
Sessions cover the roles and responsibilities of station managers, communication between island powerhouses and different STELCO departments, as well as administrative, technical, financial, safety and operational procedures.
Participants are also receiving guidance on resolving workplace challenges and making operational decisions, while the programme seeks to strengthen coordination between regional departments and individual island powerhouses.
The nationwide expansion follows a restructuring of state-owned enterprises announced by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu earlier this month.
Under the plan, Fenaka Corporation will be dissolved and its utility services consolidated under STELCO as part of the government’s efforts to reduce duplicated expenditure and improve efficiency across state-owned companies.
STELCO has since moved into the operational preparation stage, deploying teams to assess facilities that will fall under its expanded network.
Azwar described the consolidation as an important decision by the government, saying extending STELCO’s service standards nationwide would bring significant benefits to the public.
He also urged managers taking responsibility for the newly added locations to work closely with island communities and ensure the company’s standards are maintained throughout the transition.
STELCO traces its history back 75 years through the different entities that preceded the present company.
Azwar said the reputation the company has built over that period was the result of generations of employees and called on the new managers to continue that legacy as STELCO’s responsibilities expand.
The integration of Fenaka’s operations will mark a major shift in the structure of utility provision in the Maldives, bringing a much larger share of electricity and other utility services across the atolls under STELCO.
With assessment work underway and managers from newly incorporated locations now undergoing training, STELCO has begun laying the operational groundwork for that nationwide expansion.
