Chad: power cuts persist in N’Djamena after the Farcha 1 fire
Residents of N’Djamena say they are still experiencing long power cuts nearly four weeks after the fire on July 26, 2026, at the Farcha 1 power plant. The disaster has reduced the capital’s supply capacity and affects households as well as small businesses that rely on electricity.
SUMMARY
The fire broke out in the afternoon of July 26 at the TchadElec facilities in the 1st district. The Regulatory Authority for the electricity sector stated that group G3 was affected and announced technical investigations. Tchadinfos, for its part, reported three destroyed groups, representing a total capacity estimated between 18 and 21 megawatts.
In Toukra, in the 9th district, interviewed residents describe prolonged periods without electricity. Independent electrician Fidèle Sakor claims that the interruptions have reduced his work opportunities and regularly plunge the streets into darkness. Merchant Néradingam Samedi says he is having difficulties keeping his food products fresh.
These testimonies do not allow for an assessment of the duration of the cuts across the entire capital, but they illustrate the consequences of reduced production in certain neighborhoods. TchadElec has not released a detailed timetable for the resumption of service for the damaged equipment.
Two investigations and new capacities expected
The public prosecutor near the high court of N’Djamena, Moussa Abdelkerim, visited the site on July 27. He announced an investigation involving technicians and judicial police officers to determine the criminal, material, and individual responsibilities related to the disaster.
The Regulatory Authority also stated it is monitoring the incident and would communicate the results of its own investigations. No official conclusion regarding the origin of the fire had been made public in the information reviewed as of August 20.
A 40-megawatt thermal power plant, financed by Algeria, is concurrently under construction in the Farcha area. During a visit on July 20, before the fire, the Minister of Water and Energy, Passalé Kanabé Marcelin, announced that the work would be completed by the end of August, after the installation of the turbines and their connection to the grid.
This new facility is separate from the groups destroyed at Farcha 1. The minister also highlighted the outdated nature of the transmission and distribution network, estimating that additional work would be necessary to effectively transport the extra production to the users in N’Djamena.
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