Sudan's Power Grid Hinges on Single Dam After Drone Wave

Sudan’s national electricity grid now depends almost entirely on the Merowe Dam, which supplies more than 70% of the country’s power. This shift occurred after drone strikes knocked out substations in two northern towns on Sunday. The attacks are the latest in a series of blows to the energy infrastructure across army-held territory.

The Sudanese government and the rights group Emergency Lawyers attribute the strikes to the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. Fifteen substations have been targeted since early October. The attacks have left the war-torn nation’s grid dependent on a handful of remaining plants. The Merowe Dam, with a capacity of 1,250 megawatts, is now the last major source of electricity. Other hydroelectric dams in the country produce no more than 100 megawatts combined.

On Sunday, drone strikes hit Al-Dabbah in Northern state and Abu Hamad in River Nile state. Both towns lost power immediately. In Al-Dabbah, residents reported a large explosion shortly after 4 a.m. that shook houses. When people gathered at the substation after sunrise, they found it completely burned. The station’s guard, Mohammed al-Nour, was killed in the strike. A large crowd attended his funeral.

Abbas Wadaa, a resident of Al-Dabbah, described the moment the power failed. "We heard a huge explosion that shook the houses, and then the power went out," he said. The outage has halted business activity in the town. Markets, hospitals, and bakeries have shut down. Seif al-Rawasi, a local baker, said he must eventually close his business because there is no diesel in the city to run his generator. "We don't know why the RSF is targeting citizens by destroying power stations," he added.

Farmers in the region face immediate threats to the winter growing season. Irrigation systems rely on electricity, and diesel is unavailable to run backup pumps. In Abu Hamad, a local security committee said a drone strike destroyed the substation on the same day. No casualties were reported in that specific attack. Emergency Lawyers blamed the RSF for the strikes on both towns.

The wave of attacks began late Wednesday with a strike on the Um Dabakir thermal power station in White Nile state. The plant has a capacity of 500 megawatts and is the country’s largest thermal facility. An employee at the Sudan Electric Holding Company, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack destroyed four transformers and damaged three generating units. The station’s director confirmed the station was shut down in a statement. White Nile and North Kordofan states have been cut off from the grid. The regional network director said the damage will be felt for months.

Early Friday, a drone carrying four missiles hit Shendi’s main substation. The local security committee said the strike destroyed transformers. The attack also hit a reserve depot and an army air defense hangar, wounding one soldier. Before these recent attacks, electricity production had already fallen from 4,400 megawatts pre-war to 1,100 megawatts.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the drones were supplied by the United Arab Emirates and launched from Ethiopia. The UAE has repeatedly denied arming the RSF. The RSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The war has killed at least 59,000 people. Aid groups warn the number could be much higher. The conflict has displaced some 13 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine.

Many residents who can afford it have turned to solar panels to cope with the blackouts. A typical household system costs nearly $5,000. A solar business owner in Khartoum told The Associated Press earlier this year that this price is far beyond the reach of most families. The Sudan Doctors Network warned that the outages endanger hospitals, dialysis centers, and blood banks. The group also noted that the outages threaten the cold storage needed for medicines and vaccines.