Explosion near Libya’s Zawiya power plant disrupts electricity production

Yusuf Alioglu and Sahin Demir

An explosion Saturday near the Zawiya power plant in western Libya knocked several electricity generation units out of service, according to state-owned General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL).

The company said teams began work to determine the cause of the explosion, which occurred near the plant and resulted in the shutdown of several generation units.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the technical circumstances surrounding the incident, it said.

The company said work was continuing to gradually restore electricity service, and it expressed hope that power would return shortly to normal.

It apologized to citizens for any power outages or disruptions, saying teams would continue working until the electricity grid is fully stabilized.

The explosion came about one week after unidentified drone attacks targeted critical infrastructure in Zawiya, including oil storage tanks, desalination facilities and power infrastructure, raising concerns about the city’s security, economy, and social stability.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and authorities have launched an investigation to identify the source of the drones and those responsible.