Sudan is awaiting the arrival of spare parts from abroad to repair the electricity network linked to the Merowe Dam after a fire knocked it completely out of service, causing widespread power outages across the country, Energy and Petroleum Minister Al-Mutasim Ibrahim told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Ibrahim said no timetable has yet been set for restoring electricity to the affected states, but engineering teams are working around the clock and he is personally overseeing the repairs.
He described the failure at the Merowe Dam power station as “major and unexpected,” adding that efforts are focused on restoring electricity to the northern state within two days to prevent disruption to the agricultural season, while alternative power supplies are being arranged for several affected areas.
A fire that broke out last Saturday damaged transmission cables supplying River Nile, Red Sea and Northern states, as well as the capital, Khartoum, triggering widespread blackouts.
Ibrahim said the Merowe Dam generates more than 50 percent of Sudan’s electricity and that any shutdown disrupts power supplies across most of the country. He added that both the Sovereignty Council and the Council of Ministers are monitoring repair efforts.
In earlier remarks, Ibrahim accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out attacks against the country’s electricity infrastructure since the war began in April 2023, saying about 60 percent of the sector’s facilities have been destroyed. The RSF did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.
He added that the Merowe Dam—the country’s largest hydropower facility—has been targeted by nine drone attacks, while all major transmission substations have also come under attack, reducing the national grid’s ability to generate and transmit electricity to several states.
The electricity sector has sustained losses estimated at about $14 billion, Ibrahim remarked, noting that generating capacity has fallen from about 2,500 megawatts before the war to around 1,900 megawatts because of damage to power plants and transmission networks.
He added that Sudan now relies entirely on imported petroleum products after the Khartoum refinery ceased operations and several oil fields shut down because of the security situation. Although the government has begun rehabilitating damaged facilities and paid advances on contracts to manufacture new transformers and substations, restoring them will take time because of the scale of the damage.
Experts: Repairs Could Take Longer
Former Electricity Minister Adel Ibrahim said the fire caused extensive damage to the main transmission cables, warning that replacing and repairing them could take weeks, or even months, depending on the extent of the damage.
He added that the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF has destroyed more than half of the country’s thermal generation units, as well as major transmission stations, substations and a large number of power lines.
Ibrahim noted that hydropower facilities at dams and reservoirs have suffered comparatively less damage and continue to provide about 48 percent of the national grid’s electricity.
He continued that resolving Sudan’s electricity crisis will require an end to the war, followed by a comprehensive assessment of the sector and millions of dollars in funding to rehabilitate electricity infrastructure—a process that could take more than a year.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Energy and Petroleum Ministry said it had restored electricity from the available national grid supply to a number of strategic facilities and some residential neighborhoods in Khartoum State, including water stations and several hospitals.
The Merowe Dam is Sudan’s largest source of hydropower, with a generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts. Any disruption to its operations results in widespread power outages.
The Merowe Dam electricity network has suffered near-total collapse three times since the war began in April 2023 amid drone attacks targeting power facilities. The Sudanese army and the RSF have traded accusations over responsibility for the attacks.
