President Muizzu pledges 20‑year fix for Addu’s power problem

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said that a long‑term solution to Addu City’s persistent electricity outages will be completed before July next year.

Speaking on Saturday evening at the launch of the ruling PNC’s Addu manifesto, “The Greater Addu”, held at Henveiru Artificial Beach, the President said power shortages have been one of Addu’s biggest unresolved issues for many years.

He noted that previous administrations repeatedly pledged to resolve the problem but failed to deliver.  

“There was a majority in the councils, there was a supermajority in Parliament, five years passed, but no solution,” he said, referring to the former administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and the current Addu council.

President Muizzu said the government would sign an agreement on Saturday evening to bring a permanent solution to the issue, though he did not disclose further details.  

Under the agreement, a 27 MW power system will be established in Addu. “By July next year, the project will be completed and Addu’s electricity problem will be solved for the next 20 years,” he said.

The President also urged voters to elect PNC candidates to the Addu council, warning that an opposition‑led council could delay development projects through misuse of authority.

To ease the current shortages, a 1 MW generator was brought to Addu on March 13, followed by an additional 1.8 MW generator on March 25, which was operational by March 31. Officials say Addu requires a 15 MW generator to fully stabilise supply.

Many residents expect the electricity issue to be resolved once the new power plant is completed. Although the previous government awarded the project to a Chinese company, work has not yet begun.