SOMELEC's director general announced that Nouakchott's west substation is now operating at full capacity, restoring electricity to affected districts. Repairs at the east substation are ongoing, with half its capacity already back online.
The director general of SOMELEC, Akhrambali Lehbib, has confirmed that the west substation in Nouakchott is now functioning at full capacity, following recent disruptions that left several districts without electricity. All lines supplying the previously affected neighborhoods have been re-energized, according to Lehbib's statement to the Mauritanian News Agency.
Lehbib detailed that the west substation is equipped with three lines, enabling it to draw power from both the Dial and Arafat power plants. He noted that the current operational status of the substation is significantly improved compared to the period during the outage.
East Substation Repairs Progressing
Addressing the situation at the east substation, Lehbib reported that SOMELEC teams managed to restore approximately 50% of its capacity two days ago. He added that work to repair the remaining half is nearing completion, with technical teams having worked continuously for three days to address the faults. Lehbib emphasized that the effort was justified by the importance of reliable service for citizens.
Measures to Prevent Future Outages
Lehbib outlined that SOMELEC is pursuing a dual-track approach: implementing immediate solutions to secure electricity supply for residents and critical sectors, while also reviewing and strengthening measures to safeguard substations against similar incidents in the future. This includes reassessing and upgrading protocols related to substation security and resilience.
The restoration efforts follow a period of significant disruption, as previously reported when a major fire at the eastern substation caused widespread outages and prompted urgent repairs and rerouting of electricity across Nouakchott. For further background on the initial incident and emergency response, see this earlier coverage.
