Extreme Heatwave Grips Tunisia as Wide Power Cuts Fuel Frustration
STEG said the cuts are needed to prevent a nationwide blackout as demand reached a record 6 gigawatts, officials said.
- Protesters in Tunisia set fire to objects on Wednesday night, rallying against ongoing power and water outages as demonstrations spread across Bizerte, Nabeul, Monastir, and Sousse amid temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius.
- Tunisia relies on Algeria for around 10% of its electricity consumption, but domestic generation cannot meet soaring demand; The Tunisian Company has implemented "rolling blackouts" to prevent total grid failure.
- Hospitals, including The Abderrahmane Mami Hospital, reported an influx of patients with respiratory failure, while factories halted work for two days; one Tunis resident said, "It feels like God has opened the gates of hell."
- President Kais Saied met with his cabinet on Wednesday to discuss the crisis, reportedly stressing that outages "must end immediately," while the presidency stated on Thursday it was "monitoring the situation closely."
- Hela Tlili, a professor at Manar University, cited an ageing grid and insufficient maintenance as core issues, arguing Tunisia needs "a change of paradigm" by diversifying energy resources to meet growing consumption.
20 Articles
20 Articles
REPORT - Five years after the coup de force of Kais Saïed, the population manifests this Saturday against a background of exasperation in the face of power cuts.
The health and agriculture sectors are being strained by power cuts, and fires are increasing.
Above the Maghreb lies a heat bell, which provides extreme temperatures. Many people complain about power outages – and forces fight against forest fires.
Radio France Internationale
Extreme heatwave grips Tunisia as wide power cuts fuel frustration
For days, the STEG state electricity and gas company has been issuing daily heat alerts listing neighbourhoods where it would cut electricity to reduce pressure on the national grid. STEG Chief Executive Faycel Trifa said heavy air conditioner use had pushed the electricity network to its limit. Another company official told state television that electricity demand may have reached a record six gigawatts on Tuesday, after hitting 5.6 gigawatts o…
For several days now, the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Society (Steg) has been publishing daily "hot alerts", which have been listing the areas affected by cuts designed to relieve a high-voltage network. It is the "deletion", a term that has become familiar to Tunisians. According to Steg's CEO, Faycel Trifa, demand has exploded as a result of "excessive use of air conditioners." Another official told public television that national consumption…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
