Power Supply Improves as Authorities Report Partial Recovery in Generation Capacity

Written by: Dawda Baldeh

Residents of Greater Banjul have reported a noticeable improvement in electricity supply over the past 36 hours, as national authorities say generation capacity has partially recovered following recent disruptions during the Tobaski period.

Officials say available generation, which had previously fallen from around 94 megawatts to between 30 and 40 megawatts, has increased to approximately 63 megawatts.

A government statement attributed the improvement to recovery efforts across multiple power sources and increased stability within the national grid.

Current contributions to the national grid include Senelec, 20 MW, currently reduced due to technical difficulties, Wartsila, 8 MW, Brikama, 7 MW, Solar Jamburr, 18 MW, and G5, 10 MW.

Despite the increase in available generation, Senelec remains below its contractual commitment of 50 MW to the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), and load shedding continues to affect some areas.

A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the recent improvement reflects ongoing efforts to address supply challenges.

“This is about more than short-term relief,” the official said. “It reflects the government’s efforts to address load shedding and improve electricity supply for the people of Greater Banjul.”

Authorities say Senelec is expected to restore full output once the technical issues affecting its operations are resolved.

Officials also noted that thermal generation, solar energy and independent power producers are helping to offset some of the shortfall in supply.

While electricity availability has improved in recent days, authorities caution that the system remains under pressure and that further work is needed to restore generation capacity to previous levels.

Additional capacity is expected to come online in the coming days, although it remains unclear how quickly supply conditions will fully stabilise.

For many residents, the recent improvement has provided some relief after days of widespread outages, but concerns over the reliability of electricity supply remain as authorities continue efforts to address the underlying challenges facing the sector.