State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has stated efforts are underway to complete the interconnection of power grids across Greater Male' region by mid-2020.
Power failure has been a growing problem in Male' City, with frequent power losses accompanying peak loads due to issues with a cable or a transformer. With nearly 200,000 people living in over 40,000 households in Male', STELCO is currently operating near its full capacity in providing power to the city. STELCO currently has a capacity of 75 megawatts, while the power demand in the city is nearly 65 megawatts.
With population expected to increase in the coming years, STELCO has commenced an inter-connection project as a permanent solution to the power issues in the city. Under the first phase of the project, STELCO is set to inter-connect the power grids of Male', Hulhumale' and Hulhule'. The second phase will see power grids of Villimale', Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi connected to Male', completing the interconnection of power grids across Greater Male' region.
The 200 megawatt powerhouse to be installed in Thilafushi will be used for the project. The project will see the powerhouse in Thilafushi connected to the existing 50 megawatt powerhouse in Hulhumale' and the new 50-megawatt powerhouse proposed to be built in Hulhumale'. STELCO stated the powerhouse in Male' will only be used as a back-up, in case there is an issue with the powerhouses in Thilafushi and Hulhumale', following the completion of the project.
The company stated the project will be the largest power project to be conducted in Maldives.