Sudan electricity crisis and power outages

In early August 2026, Khartoum experienced prolonged electricity cuts lasting up to 48 hours, worsening health risks and forcing businesses to discard perishable goods. Residents reported spoiled food, loss of temperature‑sensitive medicines such as insulin, and difficulty keeping homes cool for ill family members. Clinics delayed or suspended treatments because medical equipment depends on stable power, raising the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum said maintenance work had restored more than 260 MW to the grid and aimed to reach over 600 MW once rehabilitation projects were completed.

A few days later, the ministry announced that several thermal power generation units had been re‑commissioned and re‑connected to the national grid to stabilise supply after a fire at the 1.25 GW Merowe Dam damaged key transmission lines and caused widespread outages across Khartoum, Northern, River Nile and Red Sea states. In parallel, Sudan exempted solar photovoltaic systems from customs duties to encourage distributed solar adoption and reduce reliance on hydropower and diesel generators. The response was coordinated by Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan, who also arranged spare‑parts shipments from Egypt to support grid repairs.