Work has commenced to bring the electricity services of additional islands transferred by the government to the State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) up to the company’s operating standards, said Dr Ali Azwar, the managing director of the company. The effort coincides with the transport and commissioning of a 400-kilowatt generator to secure electrical reliability in Kihaadhoo in Baa Atoll.
The utility transfer across Baa, Meemu, and Lhaviyani Atolls from Fenaka Corporation Limited was executed under the instruction of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to ensure that essential utility services are delivered in the most optimal manner.
"In relation to all the islands, we are carrying out the planned work required to bring them up to the standards we maintain," Azwar explained in an interview with PSM News. "We are carrying out the affairs of these three recently transferred atolls through an additional supplementary budget."
Now providing utility services to 61 inhabited islands, STELCO is using its own budget to relocate ageing powerhouses away from residential areas to uninhabited sectors, renovate generation facilities, lay fuel pipelines, and install fuel storage tanks. The company is also advancing solar photovoltaic projects through foreign-assisted programmes and independent initiatives.
On Kihaadhoo, rapid measures were taken after a technical issue in a 250-kilowatt generator, one of three supplying the island, threatened power cuts. STELCO dispatched a 400-kilowatt generator within 24 hours, and technical teams are currently working to commission the unit to guarantee reliable electrical services, the company announced.