Sao Tome and Principe plunged into blackout
Thursday March 03 2022
Sao Tome and Principe was plunged into darkness due to lack of fuel to run generators that provide power in the country. PHOTO | FILE
Sao Tome and Principe has been plunged into darkness after its Water and Electricity Company (EMAE) suspended electricity supply, for lack of fuel to run generators that provide power in the country.
It relies on generators to provide electricity in the country, with the blackout disrupting business.
According to the EMAE, only essential facilities such as hospitals and the military barracks were exempted from the power cuts from Monday.
The announcement on power cuts followed a decision by the National Fuel and Oil Company (ENCO) to suspend the movement of tanker trucks to the city of Neves, capital of Lembá District, where its fuel reservoirs are located.
According to a statement read over the state-owned Radio Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe, the suspension is attributed to the risk of collapse of the bridge in the Ribeira Funda community, making the route unsafe.
The situation led the company to make cuts until a solution is found for the transport of fuel to the city of Sao Tome.
Sao Tome and Principe is a Portuguese-speaking nation, consisting of two islands. It lies off the northwestern coast of Gabon and is Africa's second least populated country after Seychelles.
Its main exports are cocoa, copra, coffee, sugar, bananas and palm oil but the country´s economy depends on donors.