On the president’s orders, police launched an investigation into a six-hour power cut across Malé and Hulhumalé. The airport was also affected but operations continued with a backup power supply. The outage occurred around 12:45pm due to a “technical problem,” according to STELCO, which restored electricity to hospitals around 2pm and to most of Malé by 4pm. Schools closed for afternoon sessions. Dhiraagu warned that a prolonged cut could result in failure of mobile cell sites operating on battery backup. Ooredoo operated its main hub cell sites with backup gensets. Power was fully restored around 6:45pm.
There were no serious problems with the Greater Malé grid and major equipment and transformers were functional, STELCO officials said at a press briefing. The power outage was caused by a problem with the Malé-Hulhumalé interconnection grid, but the exact cause would have to be determined, they said.
MDP called on the government to explain why a proposed free trade deal – which would enable tariff-free fish exports – was not discussed during the second UK-Maldives strategic dialogue that took place in Malé last week.
The state-owned operator of the Velana International Airport earned a profit after tax of MVR 1 billion (US$ 65 million) last year, according to the Maldives Airports Company Ltd’s 2024 audit report. Jet fuel sales accounted for the largest revenue source. The company’s debt stood at MVR 13.4 billion at the end of the year, mainly representing loans taken with sovereign guarantees to develop a new runway and passenger terminal.
The president established a new state-owned company called Greater Malé Financial District Limited, with a mandate that includes "promotion of digital financial services, digital real estate, financial tourism, and banking services."
Japan’s Kanadevia Corporation was contracted for a zero-carbon desalination project in Kulhudhuffushi.
The new Development Bank has not paid any rent to STO for the Allied Building in Malé, an RTI request revealed.