HDC and STELCO meet to find permanent solution to recurring power outages in Hulhumale' Phase II

HDC and STELCO officials met on Monday to discuss long‑term measures to strengthen the electricity network in Hulhumale' Phase II, following a major outage that left several towers without power for hours on Sunday.

Power cuts in the area have become more frequent in recent years, with Sunday’s disruption affecting multiple Hiyaa and Vinares towers, including some of the largest housing blocks ever built by the state. Several towers lost power around 3:30pm, and full restoration took roughly eight hours, leaving residents struggling in the heat and without functioning elevators.

STELCO said the outage was caused by damage to one of the main cables supplying electricity to Phase II, likely during an excavation operation. In a statement on Monday, the company said its meeting with HDC focused on steps to reduce the impact of such incidents and improve the resilience of the grid.

According to STELCO, the two sides discussed expediting the installation of the SCADA system planned for Phase II. Once operational, the system will allow faster detection and resolution of network faults.

They also reviewed the repair work on the damaged main cable and discussed the need for HDC to energize the additional cables already laid by contractors for the Phase II network. STELCO noted that activating these cables would significantly shorten restoration times in the event of a major cable failure.

The companies described these measures as essential to establishing a permanent solution to the recurring electricity issues faced by residents of Phase II, a rapidly growing, densely populated district where thousands of families continue to move in and where concerns about basic services remain high.