Tunisia faces power shortages after Algeria outage amid heatwave

An unexpected technical failure at the Sidi Okba power installation in eastern Algeria disrupted electricity supplies during an unprecedented heat wave. The outage reduced the volume of electricity that Algeria normally exports to Tunisia under their bilateral energy‑exchange agreements, prompting load‑shedding in several Tunisian regions. Tunisia’s electricity and gas utility chief, Fayçal Trifa, urged consumers to limit usage between 13:00 and 17:00 to ease pressure on the grid. Algeria’s energy minister, Mourad Adjal, said Sonelgaz teams restored the national network by early morning and that the situation is now under control. Both countries cite record demand from intensive air‑conditioning use as a key factor behind the grid stress.