Paris, Oct. 9 (Nouvelle Solidarité) – On Sept. 23, Lebanon’s state-run Electricité du Liban (EDL), the country’s power provider, said that the nation is at risk for a “total and complete” power cut by the end of the month, unless EDL receives more fuel supplies. The fuel it had acquired then was only enough to provide about 500 MW of power — well short of the country’s monthly needs.
At the heart of the crisis has been the highly corrupt Central Bank’s inability to release funds to pay for fuel imports, leaving tankers laden with fuel waiting offshore in the Mediterranean as the power onshore fails.
Since noon today, Oct. 9, the electricity grid in Lebanon has reportedly cut off electricity in the entire country as the two main power stations ran out of fuel. The blackout of the country of almost 6 million is expected to last for several days, a government source told various regional media. The al Zahrani and the Deir Ammar power stations stopped working after diesel supplies were exhausted, and energy production dropped to below 200 MW.
The dramatic situation underscores the importance of the Sept. 25 joint declaration of Jacques Cheminade with Lebanese Prof. Bassam El Hachem, which called for immediate financial reforms by dealing with the particular case of Lebanon’s Central Bank. (“France-Liban: des deux côtés de la Méditerranée, combattre la corruption financière qui tue!” [France-Lebanon: Both Sides of the Mediterranean Fight the Killer Financier Corruption!” (http://jacquescheminade.fr/France-Liban-des-deux-cotes-de-la-Mediterranee-combattre-la-corruption