Rabat – A widespread power outage affected much of Algeria overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, leaving millions of people without electricity as the country faced extreme heat.
Authorities said the blackout was caused by an “exceptional technical fault” at the Sidi Okba electrical installation in the southeastern province of Biskra.
According to Algeria’s Ministry of Energy, the incident occurred as a severe heatwave combined with high humidity disrupted operations at the facility. The fault triggered fluctuations across the interconnected electricity network and affected several regions.
However, power outages were reported far beyond eastern Algeria, with cities including Algiers, Constantine, Tizi Ouzou, Bouira, Jijel, and Ghardaïa among those impacted.
Officials said disruptions outside the eastern region were linked to separate local issues caused by unusually high temperatures rather than the Sidi Okba incident alone.
The blackout caused major inconvenience for residents already enduring temperatures approaching 48 degrees Celsius. Electricity cuts also disrupted water supply systems in several areas and affected economic activity.
In response, the government activated a crisis cell. Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb, Energy Minister Mourad Adjal, senior presidential adviser Kamel Sidi Said, and Sonelgaz Director General Djelloul Rebouh oversaw restoration efforts from the National Electricity Network Control Center in Algiers.
State-owned utility Sonelgaz deployed emergency teams across the country, gradually restoring electricity during the night. Power returned to parts of Algiers, Bouira, and Ghardaïa before spreading to other regions.
The blackout came as Algeria experienced record electricity demand, with consumption reportedly reaching 21,378 megawatts because of widespread use of air conditioning during the heatwave.
While officials linked the outage to weather conditions and technical failures, citizens questioned the exact cause of the fault at Sidi Okba and how problems at a single installation contributed to such widespread disruptions.
