Solar power plants and thermal equipment to support Antananarivo
The Antananarivo Interconnected Grid (RIA) is going through a critical period. The low-water season is reducing water supplies, while several generators are experiencing outages.
Production has dropped by approximately 25%, or 30 to 50 MW, causing rotating outages in the capital.
Strategic power plants are operating at low capacity. According to the Ministry of Energy, Andekaleka is supplying only 40, 50, or 60 MW of its 120 MW capacity. AKSAF is reaching 40 MW instead of 60, while CTA 2 is capped at 20 MW out of 24. VESTOP Antsirabe remains under repair.
Faced with this situation, the Minister of Energy and Hydrocarbons, Jean-Baptiste Olivier, reassured: “We are mobilizing all solutions to increase production.” Teams are urgently repairing machines, solar power plants are progressing, and new thermal units are arriving. “The RIA will gradually regain stability,” he added.
JIRAMA is following the same approach. “Each machine repaired or installed will immediately inject electricity into the grid. We are working with our private partners to accelerate the process. The patience and solidarity of the population are very important in this difficult time,” stated its Director General, Ron Weiss.
The planned measures are based on two areas. In the short term: rapid repairs, commissioning of TAC 1 and TAC 2 units (12 to 15 MW each), and cloud seeding to stimulate rain. In the medium term: Acceleration of solar projects, notably Ambatomirahavavy (1.5 MW), Ampangabe (11.5 MW), Ambohidrano Atsinanana (7 MW), and Imerintsiatosika (9 MW).
Starting next week, a special convoy will transport 105 MW of equipment from Toamasina to Ambohimanambola. Each block installed will immediately boost production. Meanwhile, a 100 MW solar project in Tsarasaotra is being planned for 100 hectares.
The RIA’s demand has reached 250 to 260 MW, while additional connection needs are already approaching 200 MW. The authorities urge the population to remain confident and remind everyone that destroying infrastructure solves nothing.
