Power blackouts plunge Samoa into state of emergency

Samoa declared a state of emergency on Monday as repair crews raced to halt a wave of electricity blackouts that have swept the Pacific nation.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa said Samoa was in the grips of an “energy crisis” caused by storm damage and failing machinery at a crucial diesel power plant.

Fiame said more than 15 percent could be wiped off the national economy as power rationing took hold and businesses were forced to shut.

The crisis has been brewing for several weeks, stoked by mechanical failures that crippled generators at the Fiaga power plant on the most-populous island Upolu.

A storm early in March subsequently “caused widespread damage to energy infrastructure and further hindered restoration efforts”, Fiame said in a statement.

“The damage to household utilities and the safety of residential buildings has been extensive,” she said.

The state of emergency would help the government unlock foreign aid and prioritise resources for essential services.

Samoa has ordered temporary power generators to plug some of the gap, Fiame said, and was racing to find parts to restore the Fiaga station to full capacity.