Total Power Blackout Hits Libya From Misrata to Egyptian Border
A sudden and total power blackout hit the areas of Misrata all the way to the Egyptian border late last night.
The Tripoli based General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) made no statement on its official social media page.
However, the Benghazi based Ministry of Electricity of the ‘Libyan Government’ admitted to the total blackout attributed to the loss of more than 1,350 megawatts of the network’s production capacity. This, it reported, was the result of the sudden exit of several of the main generating stations, including the Gulf (of Sirte) and Misrata power stations.
Specifically, the Ministry said the reason for the blackout was the separation of the line connecting the Misrata station and the Khoms station with a voltage of 400 kV. This caused a reversal of the power that was destined for the western grid with a load of 350 MW.
The Benghazi based Ministry of Electricity said intensive technical efforts are currently underway to restore the electrical grid. Technical teams, operating from the Eastern Regional Control Room, are working in direct and continuous coordination with the generation, transmission, and distribution departments to execute the grid restart plan following the nationwide blackout.
Grid restoration operations, it added, are being carried out according to precise, sequential technical procedures to ensure the stability of the electrical system and to bring generation units and power plants back online progressively, paving the way for the gradual restoration of power supply to various regions.
The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy confirmed that all technical teams are fully mobilized and that work is proceeding without interruption until grid stability is restored and electricity service is returned to all citizens.
GECOL promise of addition power ‘soon’
It will be recalled that, ironically, Tripoli based GECOL had promised on 15 July that it will soon be bringing generation units online to contribute to the national grid following the maintenance and the successful completion of operational trials.
The company had explained that the new units will add more than 600 megawatts to the network, distributed over three stations.
Increasing power cuts and load shedding since June
It will be recalled that power cuts and organised load shedding have been steadily increasing across Libya since June.
It will also be recalled that the Tripoli government has taken the decision to favour supplying power to domestic users over industrial consumers. This policy has affected some industries, including the cement production sector. This has been reflected in the increased price of cement.
On 15 July, the Libyan Industry Union called for a meeting to discuss the negative effect of the lack of electricity it is being allowed to use – due to power shortages.
Power outages had also shutdown 92 water wells of the Man-Made River.
Finally, and to keep these power cuts in perspective, it must also be kept in mind that these power shortages are occurring despite the Tripoli government allocating huge budgets in the billions to the electricity generation sector.
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