The Director-General of Electricité du Liban (EDL), Kamal Hayek, called the head of the Public Procurement Authority, Jean El Ellieh, to inform him that he had received a notice from the Public Prosecution to ship the explosive chemicals out of the Zouk power plant.
According to An-Nahar Daily, El Ellieh assured him of the need to start withdrawing them immediately without waiting for a tender, citing Article 46 (paragraph 2) of the Public Procurement Law.
In 2022, the Caretaker Minister of Interior, Basam Mawlawi, warned against the presence of explosive materials in the Zouk power plant.
Reports by local media outlets like Al Jadeed mentioned that the plant contains hazardous chemicals used in its operation. This includes expired materials stored improperly, notably a substance called trisodium phosphate, which might pose an even greater risk than those found at the Beirut port explosion.
Back then, the cabinet had assigned the army the responsibility of securing the location and investigating any potential dangers.
The communication between the two officials comes amidst growing concerns regarding the safe storage and management of potentially dangerous substances, particularly in light of the tragic explosion that rocked Beirut on August 4th, 2020.
To recall, reports have surfaced indicating that officials were indeed informed about the dangers posed by the storage of explosive chemicals at the Port of Beirut before the catastrophic explosion on August 4th. However, adequate measures were not taken to address these warnings, leading to a tragic loss of life and widespread devastation.
