Source: Kataeb.org
Sunday 18 August 2024 00:21:43
Lebanon's state electricity company, Electricité du Liban (EDL), announced on Saturday that it has completely halted power supply across the country after its last operational power plant in Zahrani ran out of fuel.
This latest crisis has left essential facilities, including Beirut Airport, the Port of Beirut, water pumping stations, sewage systems, and prisons, without electricity.
EDL's statement confirmed that the last group of production units at the Zahrani Plant, located in southern Lebanon, ceased operations after depleting all available fuel reserves. This has resulted in a total blackout across all Lebanese territories.
In its statement, EDL noted that the shutdown occurred despite the company taking "all possible precautionary measures to prolong energy production."
The company has promised to restart the production units at the Zahrani Plant as soon as new fuel supplies can be secured, but it did not provide a timeline for when electricity might be restored.
The power outage's impact extends beyond the immediate loss of electricity. The South Lebanon Water Corporation has already issued an urgent plea to residents to conserve water, warning that the blackout will significantly hinder its ability to pump and distribute water in adequate quantities.
Lebanon's power generation capacity, which once ranged between 1,600 and 2,000 megawatts daily, has plummeted in recent years due to chronic fuel shortages. This decline has led to frequent and increasingly severe power outages, further deepening the country's economic and humanitarian crises.