Zahrani Power Plant to shut down at 5 p.m. Wednesday

BEIRUT — The Zahrani Power Plant in South Lebanon, which has been suffering from severe power rationing for months, will be shut down at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Here’s what we know:

    • The operators of the power plant, and the Deir Ammar Power Plant in North Lebanon, have not yet been paid, in fresh dollars, by the State, announced the public utility Electricité of Lebanon (EDL).

    • The fresh-dollar payment was normally provided for by cabinet, said EDL, indicating that it has waited for the money for almost a month, and that it is being blocked at the level of the "financial and monetary authorities concerned."

    • “The non-payment to the operator will cause the latter to shut down the Zahrani and Deir Ammar power plants, which will cause the total blackout of electricity throughout Lebanon and in all essential institutions, such as the airport, the port or the hydropower plants,” Electricité du Liban added.

    • The government "has spent, since the beginning of 2022, only $60 million for the installments expected by all EDL contractors, an amount which is not sufficient to accomplish a minimum of the required operations," said EDL.

    • Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, Primesouth, the company contracted to operate the two power plants, said that it was not authorized to disclose the amounts requested, admitting however that these represent arrears of 17 months.

    • EDL has recently decided to alternate its power production between the Deir Ammar and Zahrani power plants in order to prevent Lebanon from once again being plunged into a total blackout, a scenario that has occurred several times in recent years. months, for lack of sufficient reserves of fuel to supply them.

   • To make up for these shortcomings, Lebanon less than a week ago signed a contract with Egypt and Syria to import Egyptian gas via Syria, which will enable the country to increase its power supply by four hours a day.

    • They will be added to those provided in parallel by mechanisms set up with Iraq and Jordan according to which Lebanon should acquire between 8 and 10 hours of electricity in all.