On August 31, People’s Daily Online published a feature titled “Thousands of Lights, Illuminating the Future,” highlighting the Hulhumalé Phase II Island Power Distribution System Project in the Maldives, undertaken by China Machinery Engineering Group Corporation Headquarters (CMEC). The report details the tangible changes brought by the project since its completion and handover last year—providing not only stable electricity supply for the entire island, but also laying a solid foundation for urbanization and commercial development, continuously lighting up the future of the Maldives.

The project is a key livelihood initiative supported by the Maldivian government and marks the first successfully implemented financing project under the newly established financial services platform of China Machinery Engineering Group Corporation (CMEC Group). It encompasses the full scope of work—including detailed design, procurement, transportation, construction, and commissioning—for high-, medium-, and low-voltage substations as well as underground cable networks required across Hulhumalé Phase II Island.

Text of the Original Report

People’s Daily Online, Bangkok, August 31 (Reporter Zhang Niansheng) — As dusk falls and the Indian Ocean breeze gently blows, lights gradually illuminate Hulhumalé Phase II Island in the Maldives. Streets crisscross neatly, streetlamps tracing clear patterns, neon signs flickering in the sea wind, and within apartment windows, children study quietly while laughter spills from cozy cafés. This emerging urban island district is thriving with vitality.

Yet just a few years ago, the scene was vastly different. Designed as a crucial hub for relieving population pressure from the capital, housing projects on Phase II Island advanced rapidly. However, the absence of a systematic power transmission and distribution network long left the insufficient electricity supply as a major bottleneck to development.

In 2021, the power distribution system project led by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) officially commenced. Despite challenges posed by the pandemic and harsh natural conditions, including high temperatures, humidity, and salt-laden air, the project team achieved initial power delivery within three months. Subsequently, the 132-kV main substation was successfully commissioned, over 100 container-type substations were deployed across the island, and more than a hundred kilometers of power lines connected thousands of households, ending the era of isolated and unreliable power supply—commonly known as “islanded grids”—on Phase II Island. The “power artery” completed across the island in June 2024 now delivers more reliable and convenient electricity services to tens of thousands of residents and businesses.

“Stable electricity is the foundation of everything,” said local resident Hussein. “I believe development here will only get better.” Today, an increasing number of families are moving into Phase II Island, and the lights shining at night reflect growing confidence in a new life.

While advancing the “power artery” project, senior Maldivian officials have expressed strong aspirations for green development. At a recent energy side event during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy of the Maldives, emphasized that achieving the nation’s goal of generating 33% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2028 requires modernizing the grid, integrating renewable energy, and implementing smart grid planning and infrastructure upgrades.

As early as 2017, CMEC had installed 6,800 photovoltaic panels atop 34 residential buildings in Phase I of the housing project, creating a 1.5-megawatt rooftop solar power system that reduces carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,800 tons annually. This pioneering facility introduced the concept of a “green energy community” to the Maldives and has become a model for promoting clean energy locally. On Phase I Island, the neatly arranged rooftop solar panels have become a distinctive sight.

Today, with accelerated development of the Greater Capital Region Economic Circle, expansion work on the 55-megawatt power station on Hulhumalé Phase I Island is progressively underway. Once completed, it will integrate with the existing grid to achieve synergistic development.

The night deepens, and the streets grow ever brighter. Behind these lights are families living in peace and prosperity, businesses revitalized by reliable power, and a nation steadily advancing toward a green transformation. Head of Maldives Housing Development Corporation, the project owner, noted: “From rooftop solar panels to island-wide power grids, from addressing basic electricity needs to supporting economic growth, these small yet beautiful practical collaborations are truly illuminating the future of the Maldives.”