Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Yemeni Ministry of Electricity and Energy expressed its deep regret over the sudden shutdown of solar power plants in the temporary capital, Aden, and Shabwa governorate. The plants, operated by the Emirati company Global South Utilities (GSU), were turned off while operating at full capacity (“online”) without any prior coordination with the Ministry or relevant local authorities.
This action comes at a highly sensitive time, coinciding with escalating media and political tensions between the two countries. These tensions follow the decision by the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council to remove Emirati forces from Yemen, following recent events in the Hadramawt and Al-Mahrah governorates.
In an official statement, the Ministry confirmed that the shutdown was carried out without providing clear technical justifications or prior operational notices. This caused a major disruption to the power generation grid and directly impacted service stability, especially given the reliance on solar energy to alleviate loads during daylight hours.
The Ministry explained that it had not received any official correspondence from the operating company explaining the reasons for the shutdown or the expected duration of the outage in either Aden or Shabwa. It considered this a clear breach of operational responsibilities and the coordination required in managing strategic projects that directly affect citizens’ lives.
The Ministry of Electricity and Energy held GSU fully responsible for this measure and its consequences, calling for an immediate clarification of the reasons, the prompt restart of both plants, and full commitment to institutional coordination frameworks. This is to ensure the stability of the electrical system and to prevent unilateral decisions that harm public service and increase the suffering of citizens.
The Ministry stressed that energy projects, especially those linked to basic services, must remain distanced from any political friction or tension. It emphasized that it reserves the right to take all necessary legal and administrative measures to protect the public interest and ensure the continuity of electrical service.
