Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy Thoriq Ibrahim has stated that the issues on the lack of electricity provision in some islands were due to previous government's decision of launching unnecessary projects in islands. The minister stated that the previous administration targeted to launch as many projects as possible, regardless of whether it is beneficial or not.
Providing insight on the works pertaining to the energy sector, Minister Thoriq stressed that projects of developing power plants in 60 islands were halted in various stages. He disclosed that these projects were contracted hastily, costing 114% more than the market prices. Underscoring that several projects of establishing power plants and administrative offices were initiated in various islands by the previous administration, he observed that this includes islands with a population of less than 500–1,000 individuals.
During a press briefing, Minister Thoriq revealed that the habit of previous administration to contract projects without securing finances and then halting the projects was a major concern. The minister highlighted that no efforts were taken to address the issue of electricity provision, despite the development of numerous buildings. He added that while some islands had buildings developed, they were not facilitated with adequate resources or power plants to resolve the issue.
Furthermore, Minister Thoriq disclosed that among the utility service providers, Fenaka Corporation Limited had undertaken wasteful expenses. As such, the minister revealed that the corporation had paid contractors 20-15% in advance, seeking resources and cables to upgrade networks, and the halted the projects. He stated that efforts are underway to identify such issues and resolve them.