What is a power cut (délestage) in Lomé?

A scheduled power cut imposed by CEET, distinct from an accidental outage. Targeted power cuts were still observed in Lomé between 31 July and 6 August 2026.

What's the cheapest answer to power cuts?

Rechargeable lamps and pocket power banks. They don't replace anything else, but they avoid total darkness and let you stay reachable during the cut.

Can a portable power station like NOMADE replace a solar kit?

It depends on what you want to keep on. A portable station covers lights, television, the internet router and, depending on the model, a refrigerator overnight. It won't run an air conditioner: that's the job of a complete solar kit with a battery.

How do I choose between a portable station and a complete solar kit?

Ask yourself one question: what do you want to keep on when the power goes out? If the answer stops at lighting, television and the refrigerator, a portable station is enough. If it includes air conditioning, you need a complete solar kit, sized to your air conditioners.

Guide · Living with power cuts

Power cuts in Lomé: what to do, and what actually works.

Published 13 September 2026 · 5-minute read

In short. Power cuts (délestage) in Lomé are scheduled outages imposed by CEET, still observed between 31 July and 6 August 2026. They hit comfort — the refrigerator, overnight air conditioning, remote work — in ways that are hard to put a precise cost on. Four answers exist, from cheapest to most complete: lamps and pocket power banks, a generator, a portable power station like NOMADE, or a complete solar kit with a battery that takes over without any cut. The right choice comes down to one question: what do you want to keep on when the power goes out?

What a power cut in Lomé actually is

A délestage is a scheduled power cut imposed by CEET to balance the grid — distinct from an accidental outage. These aren't old or occasional cuts: targeted power cuts were still observed in Lomé between 31 July and 6 August 2026.

They affect entire neighbourhoods, at times that aren't always announced in advance, which makes it hard to plan around at home or for work.

What it costs a family

The cost of a power cut isn't only read on a bill. A refrigerator that stops for several hours puts what's inside it at risk. A bedroom with no air conditioning, in Lomé, makes for difficult nights — for children as much as for adults who have to work the next day. Remote work stops dead the moment the internet router and the computer lose power, at a time when working remotely matters to part of the diaspora and the family they support back home.

These are real costs, but hard to put a precise figure on: they depend on the appliance, the time of the cut and how long it lasts. So this guide won't give you a made-up number — only the four answers that exist, and what they actually cover.

The four answers, ranked

From cheapest to most complete, four families of solutions exist against power cuts. None is better in absolute terms: the right answer depends on what you want to keep on.

a. Lamps and pocket power banks

The most accessible answer: rechargeable lamps and pocket power banks for phones. They won't run a refrigerator or a fan, but they avoid total darkness and let you stay reachable during the cut.

b. Generator

The generator remains the most common answer in Lomé for covering a whole house, air conditioning included. It comes with three drawbacks to accept: the noise, felt throughout the neighbourhood; the fuel, which has to be bought and stored; and regular maintenance, without which it breaks down at the worst possible time — often during a prolonged cut.

c. Portable power station like NOMADE

A portable power station — a battery and inverter in one case, recharged by solar or from the grid — takes over automatically the moment the power cuts, with no noise and no fuel. Depending on the model, it keeps lamps, the television, the internet router and, for the larger versions, a refrigerator running overnight. See the NOMADE range on our homepage for the tier details.

d. Complete solar kit with a battery

A complete solar kit — panels, hybrid inverter, lithium battery sized for the night — takes over with no perceptible interruption, air conditioning included. It's the only one of the four answers that covers an air conditioner all night; the guide running an air conditioner all night on solar explains what that takes in battery and panels.

How to choose between the portable station and the complete solar kit

The question to ask yourself is always the same one, and it's the one we ask on our homepage: what do you want to keep on when the power goes out? If the answer is lighting, television, the internet router and a refrigerator, a portable station like NOMADE is enough, with nothing to install or drill. If the answer includes one or more air conditioners, you need a complete solar kit, sized to the number of air conditioners in the house rather than to an estimated consumption figure — see the guide which kit for my home.

None of these solutions promises unlimited autonomy: each one lasts only as long as its battery, and where applicable its panels, allow — no more.

Frequently asked questions

What is a power cut (délestage) in Lomé?: A scheduled power cut imposed by CEET, distinct from an accidental outage. Targeted power cuts were still observed in Lomé between 31 July and 6 August 2026.
What's the cheapest answer to power cuts?: Rechargeable lamps and pocket power banks. They don't replace anything else, but they avoid total darkness and let you stay reachable during the cut.
Can a portable power station like NOMADE replace a solar kit?: It depends on what you want to keep on. A portable station covers lights, television, the internet router and, depending on the model, a refrigerator overnight. It won't run an air conditioner: that's the job of a complete solar kit with a battery.
How do I choose between a portable station and a complete solar kit?: Ask yourself one question: what do you want to keep on when the power goes out? If the answer stops at lighting, television and the refrigerator, a portable station is enough. If it includes air conditioning, you need a complete solar kit, sized to your air conditioners.