By Ali Salem and Jamal Adel.
Tripoli, 11 December 2014:
Libya’s two largest cities have been plagued with blackouts this week due to . . .[restrict]equipment breakdowns and gas shortages.
Most areas of Tripoli have been without power since Tuesday, with some districts suffering more than others. The longest cuts were in Ain Zara, Wadi Rabih and Khalaa Furjan, lasting more than 24 hours. Residents in central Tripoli had it a bit easier with blackouts lasting no more than six hours.
The General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) foresaw the potential problems when engineers indicated that they would need to make repairs.
“We announced at the beginning of the week that the Hadba station, which is the main station supplying Tripoli with electricity, would be under maintenance for three days,” GECOL media office coordinator Lutfi Ghoma told the Libya Herald. “We expect that will have all of the kinks worked out by tomorrow.”
GECOL had warned that the Hadba station, which normally supplies Tripoli with electricity, would be under maintenance for three days and that the city’s electricity would be supplied by smaller power stations.
The cuts have provoked a great deal of anxiety in many Tripoli residents, some of whom fear that the militias will use the power cuts to their advantage in the conflict.
“We are fed up with all that is happening and just want to live normal lives,” Tripoli resident Ali Shibani told this paper.
In Benghazi, GECOL urged residents to reduce their power consumption because of a shortage in gas supplies from the Sirte Company to the North Benghazi and Zuetina power stations.
Damage done to the stations and lines by the intense fighting throughout Benghazi has also caused power shortages. GECOL engineers only finished making repairs in the Ard Baloun area today. [/restrict]
