Tonga Power Limited (TPL) has announced immediate load shedding measures across Tongatapu due to critical reliability issues with two of its generators.
This has reduced the island’s electricity generation capacity, leading to an inability to meet current customer demand disrupting business operations and residential routines. Irregular power outages became noticeable last week.
To prevent a total blackout, TPL has initiated rolling power outages affecting all feeders on the island. The company is providing advance notice of affected areas to minimize inconvenience.
As of Monday, the following regions are impacted: Malapo to Niutoua, Pea to Kala’au, Pea to Makapaeo, Ma’ufanga to Popua, Longolongo to Halavave and Kolomotu’a.
TPL said in a statement, “We sincerely apologize for the disruption this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.” The company assures customers that their team is “working diligently to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and restore a stable power supply.”
This is not the first time for TPL’s Tongatapu customers. In February 2023, TPL did an emergency load shedding after the failure of two out of its eight gensets (generators). TPL restored the faulty gensets within a week. In February 2024, multiple blackouts caused customer outrage due to a problem with the integration of CoMaps controllers with the diesel gensets.
These power disruptions is one of the main causes of damages to electrical appliances and equipment for businesses and homes in Tonga.
In June 2024, TPL, in collaboration with New Zealand’s Northpower, invested approximately $3.8 million pa’anga to upgrade Tonga’s electricity infrastructure. The project focused on rectifying defects to stabilize power supply and replacing network components, particularly in Nuku’alofa’s central business district.
Prime MInister Aisake Eke recently announced an increase in government’s electricity subsidy which may not be good news for TPL customers just yet as these blackouts continue.
Despite these efforts, the current generator failures have yet again necessitated immediate load shedding to manage the limited power supply.
