Addu’s unsolved power crisis: A Constitutional violation!

The state, by “reasonable measure within its ability and resources” is required to establish an “electricity system of a reasonably adequate standard on every inhabited island that is commensurate to that island."

This is a fundamental right granted to the people of Maldives by the country’s constitution. The government of Maldives entrusted FENAKA to provide this service to the people of Addu. Yet a quick Google search brings up news reports from even as early as 2015, describing the plight of Addu people’s struggle for sustainable electricity - an issue that has persisted over multiple administrations.

Articles from Maldives Independent, published in 2015 reported on how two 2-megawatt generators were transported to Malé from Addu City to be used during independence day celebrations, at a time when the city itself was experiencing regular power outages.

Ten years on, it is now Ramadan 2025 with Eid fast approaching, and Addu’s power crisis still persists with the current bout of outages ongoing since mid 2024. Amidst increasing agitation by the people of Addu, and failed promises to fix the power outages before Ramadan, a lot has happened, including a protest encouraged by the city council.

How did it get so bad?

According to a Facebook post by a senior official of FENAKA’s Hithadhoo branch, this did not happen overnight.

“For a long time, due to a lack of proper spare parts, the absence of preventive maintenance, and the underutilisation of generators, the generators have not been operating at full capacity,” he said.

According to Central Hithadhoo MP Ahmed Azan, the situation is also because the “infrastructure was not upgraded despite an increase in demand.”

“The last administration also signed an agreement with a Chinese company to develop a news power house, but later they scrapped it and started developing one on their own, which was never completed,” Azan said.

What was promised?

In April 2024, FENAKA contracted DEC Dongfeng Electric Machinery Co., Ltd to develop a new power plant in Addu City. FENAKA’s Managing Director at the time, Muaz Mohamed Rasheed, said that this would be a “permanent solution” which would be effective for about 20-25 years. The plant was supposed to have a capacity of 32-megawatt with the possibility to be upgraded to 50-megawatts.

Discussions were held in September 2024 with Addu City Council to allocate land for the project to begin as well. However, the status of the project is unclear.

According to the official’s Facebook post, “practical work will begin very soon” to establish a new powerhouse in the city to meet the growing demands of the city’s “power consumption and power growth.”

The city also has a fully functional 1.5-megawatt waste-to-energy facility, which is not in use. While testing began in September 2023, a source told The Edition on the condition of anonymity that there are multiple operational and management issues preventing the facility from being functional. One such failure is untrained staff, the source revealed.

As the people of Addu turn a corner towards the last ten days of Ramadan, power outages are still a frustrating reality for many despite promises to fix it before the holy month. Although there are Viber communities for FENAKA to inform residents of impending power cuts, the lack of time in between these notices and power cuts is also another concern.

“FENAKA, should we spend all day with our heads buried in Viber? [Electricity] was cut with five minutes notice,” a dissatisfied Addu resident wrote on Facebook in Dhivehi.

However, FENAKA has been working on a remedy. On March 12, the company said that a brand new one-megawatt generator was transported to Addu to alleviate the issue. They also said they were repairing a 1.8-megawatt generator and two 1.6-megawatt generators in early March, of which one 1.6-megawatt generator is now reportedly functional. An additional 1.8-megawatt generator is also on its way from Tuticorin, India, FENAKA said.

Where is Addu City Council’s responsibility?

While Addu remains hot and bothered - both literally and figuratively - amidst hour long power cuts and sometimes more - the question of who is responsible to fix the issue has seemingly become a game of hot potato.

The terms of the Constitution are clear - the state is responsible, and the state has entrusted government owned utility company FENAKA to provide the service. However, Addu has a city council, fully empowered by the Decentralisation Act.

According to Chapter 5, Article 39 (k) of this Act, the city council has the power and responsibility to enter into agreements and transactions to implement developmental projects and provide basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation, in line with the policies and regulations set forth by relevant ministries.

However, Azan said it is not as simple as it is on paper. Although there are many responsibilities under that act, the council “does not have the resources to do so,” Azan said, explaining why the city council may have not been able to fulfil their duties.

Referring to Addu City’s Mayor Ali Nizar’s public appeal to protest in demand of reliable power to the city, which took place outside Hithadhoo’s FENAKA office, Azan said it may have been to pressure the government to resolve the crisis.

If STELCO can, why can’t FENAKA?

On March 16, State Electric Company (STELCO), which provides utility services to 33 islands including the Malé area, inaugurated a 19.2-megawatt power house, aimed to cater to the power needs of the capital during peak and warm seasons.

This new power house was completed within just nine days - a stark contrast to the decade long power crisis in Addu City. While STELCO is not responsible for Addu’s power situation, both FENAKA and STELCO are state owned utility companies, which has led some Addu netizens to describe this as “rubbing salt” on their wounds.

North Feydhoo MP Ismail Nizar said STELCO “is a much more stable company than FENAKA,” adding that the company was in MVR 4 billion in debt when the current administration assumed power.

“FENAKA is currently paying off their debts and continues to serve the public with the support of the government. I am hopeful that we will see positive changes,” he explained.

The Edition asked Azan about the matter as well.

“I think those in Malé don’t understand or [perhaps] not care about the seriousness of the situation in Addu. While they spent millions on a backup power plant for Malé in a short period, [they] could have done the same for Addu,” Azan said.

As Addu braves through this decade long struggle to achieve reliable power, it is without doubt the failure of multiple governments and a violation of their constitutional rights.