Since early July 2026, four major Malagasy cities have been hit by repeated power cuts. Antananarivo, Toamasina, Antsiranana and Antsirabe are all affected. In Antsirabe, things have taken a darker turn: national utility Jirama suspects deliberate acts of sabotage behind four consecutive days of blackouts.
Four Cities Under Rolling Blackouts
In Antananarivo, subscribers on the RIA interconnected grid face 45-minute rotating cuts per neighbourhood. In Toamasina, outages last up to two hours per zone. Official causes are multiple: a breakdown of the DG2 generator at the Afripower-Mandroseza plant, a faulty combustion turbine (TAC 1), and reduced solar output due to cloud cover. In Antsiranana, private operator Enelec delivered only 1.6 MW against a contractual commitment of 4.2 MW, citing accumulated maintenance delays caused by payment arrears owed by Jirama.
Sabotage Suspected in Antsirabe
In Antsirabe, after four consecutive days of power cuts, Jirama went further in its public statements: the company suspects deliberate acts of sabotage. An investigation has been opened. The government issued Enelec a one-week ultimatum to restore service in Antsiranana and delivered two 500 kW generators to reinforce production capacity on the Amporaha network.
Why It Matters
Energy remains one of the biggest barriers to private investment in Madagascar. With rural electrification below 20%, Jirama is under constant pressure to keep economically active urban areas powered. Repeated blackouts directly hit industrial productivity — textiles, agro-processing, mining — and erode foreign operators' confidence. The World Bank, which allocated $225 million to Madagascar in 2026, has tied part of its disbursements to energy sector reforms. The recurrence of these crises makes those reforms more urgent than ever.