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The electricity supply in the country returned to work partially this Sunday, after the total blackout of the previous day, when the two largest power plants had to stop operating due to fuel shortages. The Government affirmed that the network returned to “normality”, which translates into a few hours a day and only thanks to a supply delivered by the Army.
After spending a whole day in the twilight, Lebanese citizens were given an hour or two of light and energy, as in the days before the brake on the country’s largest power plants.
Specifically, the state network returned to work after the Army supplied fuel to the two mentioned plants, which had no way to continue operating. This was confirmed this Sunday, October 10, by the Minister of Energy Walid Fayad.
“The grid is back to normal operation compared to what it was before the Deir Amar (north) and Al Zahrani (south) power plants ran out of diesel,” it said in a statement.
The minister thanked the military for delivering 6,000 kiloliters (about 1.6 million gallons) of diesel, of which half went to the two plants, according to his words.
On Saturday, the day before, the Deir Amar and Al Zahrani plants were paralyzed, causing the state power grid to collapse for the second time this month.
The current supply will allow the electricity service to be maintained at low minimums for a few days and will avoid a total blackout, but it will not be enough to maintain it throughout the month or until the arrival of the next shipment of diesel.
An energy crisis not from now, but from months ago
Most Lebanese did not see any significant change in their daily lives on Saturday, as the state had barely provided them with an hour or two of electricity a day for months.
The nation, whose currency has fallen 90% since 2019 and is still affected by the explosion at its port, is battling one of the worst economic crises since 1850, according to the World Bank. In recent months, the State, due to lack of liquidity, has not been able to import sufficient quantities of diesel for the production of electricity.
But the problem goes back even further. Since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war, Lebanon has witnessed continuous power outages, which have worsened the crisis considerably.
While most Lebanese are deprived of a basic and vital service, a few can afford to pay for private generators to keep appliances running. However, even private providers have started to ration the power supply.
The international community has long demanded a complete overhaul of the deficit Lebanese electricity public sector, which has cost the government more than $ 40 billion since the early 1990s.
With AFP and EFE
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