Lebanon electricity production stops amid fuel shortage

By Naim Berjawi

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – Lebanon’s electricity production has completely stopped after the last two functioning power plants ran out of fuel, according to a government official.

“The current production of Electricité du Liban (state-run power company) is zero,” Ahmed Abbas, director of the Al-Zahrani plant affiliated with the Ministry of Energy, told the state news agency.

Abbas said the crisis is related to the lack of foreign exchange needed to import fuels.

On Thursday, Electricité du Liban announced that the last two fuel functioning plants of Deir Ammar and Al-Zahrani, located in north and south of the country, had stopped working after running out of fuel.

Lebanon has seven power plants in total.

Abbas said he expected the two plants to resume power production on Tuesday or Wednesday after securing the import of a fuel shipment.

Lebanon suffers from a severe shortage of electricity supply due to insufficient fuel needed for power generation, in addition to a sharp rise in the prices of derivatives due to the collapse of the lira, and the lack of foreign exchange needed for imports.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara