The Benghazi branch of the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) called on the Attorney General and the Energy Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) to take urgent measures to solve the ongoing power outage.
In a statement, the company said that there is “a complete collapse” in the distribution networks in the eastern region, and power outages in most areas of Benghazi and its suburbs.
The Benghazi branch pleaded to “rescue the citizens and relieve them of their suffering, which exceeded all limits.”
The company also clarified that there are areas in the eastern region who have been without electricity for more than days, “while the GECOL Head Office in Tripoli, the western region, does not move a finger.”
“The Head Office of the GECOL in Tripoli has left citizens and their children to suffer the scourge of humiliation and humiliation in light of this cold and frost as a result of the power outage,” the statement added.
Since 2011, Libya has been suffering from a deficit in energy production. The GECOL adopted a program of load shedding hours on various cities and regions that may reach more than 12 hours a day.
There is also a trend concerning the theft of copper cables by outlaws, which contributed to the almost permanent interruption in the regions of Libya. Thieves sell those cables on the black market.
Libya is seeking to obtain multiple sources of energy to solve the power outage crisis, which the Prime Minister has repeatedly promised to solve, yet without result.
The oil-rich country contracts with neighbouring countries such as Egypt to supply the necessary electricity.
Last month, the Egyptian Electricity Minister, Mohamed Shaker, said that the country is planning to increase the capacity of its electrical linkage line with Libya to 2000 megawatts (MW).
In press statements, the Minister said that the basic capacity of the electricity line amounted to 100 MW at a voltage of 220 kilovolts (KV), and the capacity was increased in January 2020 to 150 MW.
Shaker said the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company started to raise the voltage of the line between Egypt and Ethiopia to 500 KV from 220 KV.