Global South Utilities Clarifies Shutdown of Aden and Shabwa Solar Power Plants Was Government-Directed, Not Unilateral

Aden — Global South Utilities (GSU), the UAE-based operator of two solar power plants in Yemen’s interim capital Aden and Shabwa governorate, issued an official clarification in response to allegations that the UAE remotely shut down electricity facilities. 

The company stressed that the suspension of operations at the two plants was carried out strictly in compliance with a formal request from the competent Yemeni government authorities, and not as a unilateral or sudden action as suggested in a recent statement by the Ministry of Electricity and Energy.

In a formal letter addressed to the Public Electricity Corporation, GSU explained that the evacuation and handover of the Aden and Shabwa plants followed direct government instructions requiring Emirati companies to exit Yemeni territory. 

The company emphasized that the process was conducted in an orderly manner, including the full transfer of both plants with all technical and operational equipment to the designated government entity.

GSU highlighted that the Aden plant, with a production capacity of 120 megawatts, and the Shabwa plant, with 53 megawatts, were both delivered in complete operational condition under the direct supervision of the Public Electricity Corporation’s Director General. 

This, the company noted, refutes any claims that the shutdown occurred without coordination or lacked technical justification.
The company’s clarification comes in the wake of a statement from the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, which expressed regret over the shutdown of the two plants without prior coordination and held GSU responsible for the impact on the stability of the electricity grid, particularly during daylight hours.