The General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) announced today that for the first time, the sixth gas unit at the Zueitina Power Plant has been connected to the national electricity grid with a generation capacity of 250 MW.
This follows the completion of upgrade and major overhaul works, as well as the successful conclusion of operational testing.
GECOL said the commissioning of the sixth unit represents a significant addition to generation capacity. It added that it is part of the company's plan to restore idle units to service in accordance with the highest technical standards, thereby supporting the reliability and stability of the national electricity grid.
A significant and timely connection
The timing of the connection of Zueitina Power Plant’s sixth unit comes at a significant moment with the background of last week’s (18 July) sudden blackout from the region of Misrata eastwards, all the way to the Egyptian border.
The blackout, attributed to the loss of more than 1,350 megawatts of the network's production capacity, has caused much political and public furore with Tripoli Prime Minister Aldabaiba calling for an investigation of the GECOL management and the public calling for accountability.
The power cuts are partially attributed to a shortage of gas supplies to power stations.
GECOL promise of addition power ‘soon’
It will be recalled that, ironically, GECOL had promised on 15 July – just three days before the blackout - 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
This comes on the back of steadily increasing power cuts and organised load shedding 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.
Egyptian media reports, meanwhile, claim that electricity exports to eastern Libya have resumed - starting with an initial capacity of 70 megawatts.
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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