A Lebanese official stated that the country has entered total darkness after the two largest power stations shut down due to a fuel shortage. The source mentioned that "Lebanon's electricity network completely ceased operations on Saturday afternoon, and it is unlikely to resume before Monday or for several days."
The Electricité du Liban (EDL) confirmed in a press release that the Deir Ammar and Zahrani power plants have stopped working, which directly affected the stability and reliability of the network and led to a complete failure without the possibility of rebuilding it in the current difficult operational conditions and low capacity, as well as the continued existence of major substations outside of the institution's control.
Later on Saturday evening, the National News Agency reported that the Electricité du Liban announced an agreement with the Lebanese Army to receive 6,000 kiloliters of diesel fuel from the army's reserves to distribute equally between the Zahrani and Deir Ammar plants, which will provide an additional capacity of about 300 megawatts sufficient for three days.
Most Lebanese depend on private diesel generators, despite the shortage of supply. The fuel crisis emerged from a financial collapse that has plagued the Lebanese economy since 2019, leading to the currency losing about 90% of its value and plunging more than three-quarters of the population into poverty.
