Power blackout hits Sudanese capital
October 4, 2009 (KHARTOUM) – A power blackout hit all of the Sudanese capital on Sunday for more than eight hours due to failure of feeding units at the Merowe dam.
The commission noted that the Merowe units account for 65% of generated electricity in the country adding that work is underway by engineers to restore power to the capital.
The electricity has returned to parts of the capital though some residents complained of water outages as well.
The power failure also interrupted an African Champions league match played in the Sudanese capital between the host Al-Hilal and TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The stadium officials turned on alternative generators so that the game can resume.
Al-Hilal lost 5-2 to Mazembe in one of the most stunning defeats to a Sudanese team playing at home. Some Al-Hilal fans mocked their team by saying that the power outage was done on purpose when they knew that their game is not going in their favor.
There has been growing frustration among residents in the capital for the continuation of power outages despite promises by Sudanese officials that inauguration of Merowe dam last March would guarantee no future electric cuts.
Some critics have contended that Merowe dam was prematurely inaugurated for political reasons a day before the indictment of Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir for war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur.
In the last few weeks the Sudanese Dam Execution Unit traded accusations with the energy ministry over the responsibility for power outages. The former says that the Merowe dam is producing “more than enough” electricity but the energy ministry fought back saying that the dam electricity is “unstable”.
Furthermore, the National Electricity Corporation had to disconnect power from water stations for non-payment of past due bills that they say adds up to 20 million Sudanese pounds ($8 million) which led to acute water shortages.
The move prompted intervention by the Sudanese president who reversed the decision saying that the matter is a red line and threatened that he “will cut the head of anyone who cuts electricity”.
In late September Sudan riot police clashed with protestors south of the capital who blocked the Khartoum-Medani road to protest the power outage that continued for over 3 days.
The rioters attacked a local office of the National commission for electricity and burned tires before the police fired tear gas and arrested 20 of them.
The $2 billion dam project is supposed to double the country’s electricity output producing 250 megawatts of electricity and to reach full capacity by November 2009 by producing 1250 megawatts.
(ST)
oshay
Power blackout hits Sudanese capital
Total failure, someone should be fired.
logic Dinka
Power blackout hits Sudanese capital
what a bad news! where will our brothers go if this electricity blocked out takes more day!!!!
lets Mr. Taha enjoy his being replece period without light.
mohammed osman
Power blackout hits Sudanese capital
This is what i have been shouting about but the northerners so not listen to me now untill the see with their own eyes.
We northerns have had enough with this regime, they are only interested in power and themselves but not the citizens welfare.
All our money has gone to corruption and mismanagements by this NCP officials who think they own this country. We the ordinary citizens here are left to pay the price of their bad governence. Omer basher has to go, we need a new elected president not NCP.