- Repeated outbreaks of fighting over the last decade since the overthrow of Mohammed Gadaffi, have caused heavy damage to the power distribution network.
- With the volatile security situation in the country, there has been virtually no new investment in generating capacity.
Libya, a country with a population of just seven million that boasts of Africa’s largest reserves of oil and gas continues to struggle under severe power shortage. Generating capacity from oil and gas power stations fall far below the demand.
Repeated outbreaks of fighting over the last decade since the overthrow of Mohammed Gadaffi, have caused heavy damage to the power distribution network. With the volatile security situation in the country, there has been virtually no new investment in generating capacity.
The capital city, Tripoli on most days, experience multiple power cuts totalling 12 hours a day. The once affluent city is polluted by noise and fumes due to the constant use of generators. Though the country is blessed with plentiful of sunshine, solar panels as an alternative source of energy is not explored.
After the United Nations-backed ceasefire last year, that paved the way for peace talks and the formation of a transitional government this March with elections set for December, Libyans are hoping for improvement in the scenario .
The Libyan Audit Bureau in a recent report, blamed the state-run General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) for unfinished projects and wasting investments .Experts say that the infrastructure that has been decaying for 10 years requires extensive maintenance. Hundreds of high-tension lines serving the capital and its suburbs were destroyed during the fighting. Foreign firms pulled out due to security concerns, delaying the construction of new generating capacity. It is hoped that the two new power stations that are under construction by a German-Turkish consortium in Tripoli and Libya’s third city Misrata may improve the power situation in the country.
