Despite preventive measures implemented since July 27 to avert a blackout in Lebanon, Électricité du Liban (EDL) announced on Wednesday the complete shutdown of the Deir Ammar power plant due to the depletion of its diesel fuel reserves.
In a statement, the public utility supplier explained that following the peak in consumption on July 26, it had to take one of the production units at the Zahrani plant offline to conserve fuel. These measures were taken to keep the remaining unit running as long as possible, thereby providing electricity to citizens and maintaining power for essential services such as the airport, port, water pumps and sewage systems, to avert a total blackout. However, EDL warns that if no fuel deliveries are received, this unit will be out of service by Saturday, August 17.
According to the public utility, the delivery delay is due to the lack of allocated shipments under the exchange agreement with Iraq for diesel fuel destined for EDL, with no shipments scheduled for either July or August 2024.
In this context, and according to several sources, the caretaker government is particularly concerned about the risk of a complete blackout if a war were to break out.
It is important to note that Lebanon’s electricity generation currently relies on the Zahrani and Deir Ammar power plants, as the Jiyeh and Zouk plants are undergoing maintenance. Moreover, Zahrani and Deir Ammar receive monthly diesel deliveries, provided to EDL by the Ministry of Energy under the exchange agreement with Iraq signed on July 23, 2021. This agreement, effective since September 2021, stipulates that Iraq will supply fuel to Lebanese power plants under favorable conditions, with a monthly allocation of 100,000 tons. However, due to its high sulfur content, Iraqi fuel cannot be used directly in Lebanese power plants. As a result, Lebanon purchases a compatible type of fuel from other suppliers selected through a tender process, and these suppliers, in turn, receive the Iraqi fuel.
