By Nigel Ash.
Tripoli, 14 October 2013:
Electricity supplier GECOL is warning that power . . .[restrict]cuts could continue throughout the winter, because security concerns had caused foreign firms doing essential maintenance and expansion work at its power stations pull their workers out of the country.
In a statement issued yesterday, GECOL said recent security issues, including the kidnapping of the prime minister, had caused withdrawal of overseas technicians.
The power maintenance projects on which they were working, said GECOL, “were desperately needed because they will contribute hugely to our ability to meet the demand for electricity in the immediate future”.
It declared: “The absence of these foreign professionals and experts of these companies will delay the implementation of these projects, thus causing us to be unable to meet the demand for electricity for this winter and next summer”.
A high-level source at the Ministry of Electricity today confirmed to the Libya Herald that overseas staff employed by the German firm Siemens had been withdrawn. Siemens declined to discuss the issue. A spokesman said: “In general, we do not comment on any security-related matters. Protecting the health and safety of employees in the workplace is a high priority for Siemens. Therefore, we do not give any insights into our security policy”.
One person close the current electricity projects told this paper: “A great many foreigners have left the country anyway because of Eid. Siemens would have withdrawn its staff at this time, but it is clear that it does also have serious security concerns, which may well mean an extended withdrawal”.
There were also reports that workers from APR Energy, which has completed the installation of 450 MW of emergency generating capacity, the largest such project ever undertaken anywhere, had also been pulled out in the last few days.
This was categorically denied by the Florida-based firm. Silvio Cavaceppi, Vice President of Marketing & Communications told this paper: “We have not withdrawn our staff from Libya. The safety and security of our personnel is paramount and we continuously monitor and assess the operating environment with GECOL and other key stakeholders”. He did not say how many APR Energy workers were present in Libya.
Cavaceppi however confirmed that all 450MW of its emergency generating sets are now installed and hooked up to the power grid. He added: “Now that all plants are installed, they can be monitored and maintained by non-APR Energy personnel if necessary”.
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