“The chemicals from the Zouk power plant should be promptly transferred to countries that will treat them appropriately,” declared caretaker Minister of the Environment Nasser Yassin on Friday.
In an interview with the radio station Voice of Lebanon, Yassin stated that the chemicals in the Zouk power plant were “flammable and not explosive.”
The Mayor of Zouk Mikael, Elie Beaino, assigned a delegation from the municipality to accompany members of the Intelligence services to inspect the materials in the factory, determine their nature and obtain preliminary information about their potential danger.
Suspicions that ammonium nitrate was stored in the Zouk power plant aroused fear among the inhabitants of Zouk Mikael of a possible occurrence of an explosion.
Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi confirmed those suspicions in 2022, warning against explosive materials in the power plant, while Beaino told This is Beirut on May 30 that there was “no ammonium nitrate in the facility.”
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However, he admitted the presence of several materials that could be dangerous if kept close to each other. Beaino estimated that the storage amounts to 60 tons, posing a risk of explosion due to sabotage, warfare or heat.
On March 23, the Director-General of Electricité du Liban (EDL) received a notice from the Public Prosecution to ship the explosive chemicals out of the Zouk power plant.
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Nonetheless, the materials remain there.
Zouk Mikael residents planned a demonstration on Friday, May 31 at 6:00 PM, to demand the immediate removal of all dangerous chemicals.
