By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 19 May 2015:
The Abdullah Thinni government has approved a proposal from the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) to . . .[restrict]contract to import eight power plants with a capacity of 25 MW each.
The decision was made during its cabinet meeting held on Sunday in Beida, the seat of Libya’s only internationally recognized government.
Giving further details yesterday, the government spokesman Hatem Al-Oraibi said the plants were for the Cyrenaica area and that work on them had to start within two months.
GECOL this week has put out an open tender call for 4 generators with a capacity of 2 MW each for the Marada area. It also announced a number of tenders for a number of transformers, including a number of transformers specifically for ABB power stations.
It is not clear where the financing for these new projects will be coming from as during Libya’s current financial, economic and political crises the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) is not releasing any funds for any development or new projects.
The CBL is currently only releasing funds for salaries and subsidies in order not to exhaust Libya’s fast depleting foreign currency reserves.
Libya has been experiencing chronic power cuts since the February 2011 revolution caused by a combination of factors.
There had been damage to electricity infrastructure during the 2011 as well as subsequent fighting.
There has also been targeted politically motivated damage to electricity infrastructure as part of the ongoing military and political conflict.
Libya’s electricity subsidies and low tariffs as well as the profligate use of electricity have contributed to power shortages. The increased use of electricity through the mushrooming of unplanned buildings has also contributed to increased power consumption.
GECOL has also struggled to collect outstanding electricity bills due to the Libya’s institutional and security breakdown. [/restrict]
