The Tripoli based Libyan Minister of Planning, Mohamed Al-Zaidani, met today with the Chairman of the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL), Al-Bashir Al-Marash, to discuss the challenges facing the electricity sector and mechanisms for financing its projects.
The discussion focused on the requirements for the first phase of the Emergency Plan, as well as priority projects that will have a direct impact on public services.
GECOL’s ‘‘Urgent Emergency Plan’’, the Planning Ministry said, aims to:
- Enhance the operational readiness of power generation units
- Carry out essential maintenance and overhauls
- Address issues within the transmission and distribution networks
- The procurement of necessary spare parts and equipment.
The Ministry said all of these will contribute to improving the reliability and stability of electricity supplies for citizens.
The Ministry reported that the meeting underscored the importance of coordination between the Ministry, GECOL, and other relevant stakeholders to secure the necessary funding and resources to implement these projects and resolve existing challenges, thereby ensuring the continuity of service and meeting the needs of both citizens and economic sectors.
Libya’s summer of electricity crisis
It will be recalled that Libya went through a summer of extreme heat accompanied by acute electricity cuts and blackouts.
This led to violent demonstrations, road blockades and the barricading of state and government buildings by frustrated demonstrators. The Mellitah Complex, pumping gas to Italy, was stormed by demonstrators aiming to stop gas supplies to Italy – in the hope that gas supplies could be diverted to power stations.
The crisis threatened to cause the downfall of the Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba Tripoli government.
It is within this perspective that GECOL and the Planning Ministry held today’s meeting.
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