Major Blackout Paralyzes Greater Male' Area, Investigation Underway
Male’, Maldives – June 1, 2025 – A major power outage struck the Greater Male’ region on Saturday afternoon, plunging the capital, Hulhumale’, and Velana International Airport (VIA) into darkness. The disruption, which began around 12:45 PM, affected hospitals, schools, businesses, and transport services across the region.
STELCO Responds to Sudden Outage
The State Electric Company (STELCO) attributed the blackout to a “technical issue,” though the exact cause remains unknown. STELCO teams immediately began working to restore power and investigate the root of the disruption. At a press conference later in the day, officials confirmed that 60% of Male’ and 78% of Hulhumale’ had regained electricity, with full restoration targeted before sunset.
Electricity was prioritized for critical infrastructure, with Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Dharumavantha Hospital among the first to regain power. However, both facilities experienced intermittent supply and relied on backup systems to maintain patient care.
Airport, Schools, and Daily Life Disrupted
Velana International Airport, a key hub for international and domestic travel, also lost power briefly. Backup systems kicked in within an hour, minimizing disruptions to flight operations.
Public services ground to a halt across the city. Schools dismissed students early, afternoon sessions were canceled, and offices, shops, and cafés were forced to shut down. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) dispatched fire and rescue teams to assist residents stuck in elevators.
Dhiraagu, the country’s largest telecom provider, warned that its mobile networks were operating on battery backup and service could be interrupted if the outage prolonged. Meanwhile, MTCC, the public transport operator, offered free bus rides as they struggled to issue tickets due to system failures.
President Orders Full Investigation
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu took to social media platform X to announce that he had instructed relevant authorities to investigate the outage thoroughly. He assured the public that the government would take steps to prevent such incidents in the future.
The Maldives Police Service has launched an official investigation, and both Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim and STELCO Managing Director Hussain Fahmy emphasized the seriousness of the incident. Fahmy apologized for the inconvenience and pledged that STELCO would implement measures to strengthen grid reliability.
Gradual Restoration and Remaining Concerns
By 6:00 PM, STELCO confirmed that power had been restored to all of Male’ and most of Hulhumale’. Only the transformer at the Hulhumale’ 1 Ruhgandu area remained offline. Residents in other areas were asked to contact STELCO's emergency line if they continued to experience outages.
STELCO stated that no major equipment failure had been detected in the grid. Preliminary findings suggest the issue originated in the interconnection system between Male’ and Hulhumale’. Officials said power supply capacity is adequate for the region, but not for Male’ alone, which depends on the interconnection grid for consistent electricity.
Moving Forward
As residents return to normalcy, questions remain about the vulnerability of the capital’s power infrastructure. The government and STELCO have promised transparency in identifying the cause and have committed to reinforcing systems to prevent future blackouts.
For now, power has returned — but the incident has sparked a broader conversation about infrastructure resilience in one of the world’s most densely populated capitals.