Senegal experienced a nationwide electricity outage on Thursday, following an accident at the 90,000-volt Hann power station in the capital, Dakar. The incident, which triggered a wider disruption across the interconnection grid, led to power cuts throughout the country, according to a statement by Senegal’s power utility, Senelec.

Details regarding the exact nature of the accident were not provided. However, Senelec assured that power was being gradually restored to some regions and parts of Dakar.

This blackout highlights Senegal’s ongoing struggles with electricity supply despite significant reforms and investments aimed at improving the nation’s energy infrastructure. A severe power crisis over a decade ago, which crippled businesses and led to violent protests, prompted the government to initiate widespread changes to enhance power generation and transmission.

In 2018, the U.S. committed $550 million to support Senegal’s efforts in upgrading its electricity grid, as part of a $600 million deal to improve access to reliable and affordable power. The Senegalese government contributed an additional $50 million to the program. Despite these efforts, Thursday’s outage reflects the challenges that still exist in maintaining stable electricity in the West African nation.

The U.S. Embassy in Senegal has yet to comment on the outage.