Electricité du Liban announced in a statement that "the fuel oil reserves at the Zahrani power plant have been completely depleted, which will forcibly put this thermal plant, the only one currently operational, out of service by tonight." It added, "Since only 6,000 tons of fuel oil remain at the Deir Ammar plant, which can only be used for testing and commissioning work set to start next Monday, 9/1/2023, linked to the major overhaul of the steam turbine at the plant that has been ongoing for about two months, carried out by manufacturing companies particularly Siemens and Ansaldo with their experts present and arriving in Lebanon for this purpose. Additionally, no shipments of fuel reached in December 2022 under the Iraqi fuel swap agreement signed between Lebanon and Iraq, and until the relevant authorities reach a solution regarding opening the necessary credits to unload the fuel tankers supplied through the tenders launched and awarded by the Ministry of Energy and Water - the Directorate General of Oil via the Public Procurement Authority's website for supplying fuel oil and gas oil to the production plants of the institution, which have been stalled at sea for a period waiting for these credits to be opened by the relevant authorities, and thus for reasons completely beyond the institution's control."
The statement continued: "It is noteworthy that the national emergency plan for the electricity sector, with all its components without exception, approved by the institution’s board of directors decision No. 300 dated 5/8/2022 and coupled with the endorsement and approval from the Ministry of Energy and Water, the Ministry of Finance, and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, is a comprehensive project aimed at securing electricity for about 8 to 10 hours daily, requiring efforts from several concerned institutions and ministries. Since no data or written proposals have been received by the institution from concerned ministries and institutions for about 5 months, particularly regarding funding this plan and securing hard currency for its success, despite the institution's repeated requests in this regard, to facilitate its study by the institution and its board of directors for necessary action."
The statement concluded: "Therefore, Électricité du Liban will be compelled, after obtaining the necessary approvals, to operate the old thermal plants of Zouk and Jiyeh from the limited quantities remaining in their tanks of fuel oil (Grade A and/or Grade B), which provide a minimum of electricity, in case the electrical grid stabilizes under the current circumstances, for a maximum period of one week, to prevent a total blackout in Lebanon and to provide what can be supplied in electricity to the essential facilities of the state (water pumps, sewage, the airport, the port, the Lebanese University, etc.), in light of the above clarification and the difficult conditions facing the country at this time."
