On Tuesday, the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) announced that the first unit of the North Benghazi power station, with a production capacity of 120 megawatts, has joined the electricity network.
This came after the unit’s generator shaft was replaced, and the necessary tests were conducted. It noted that the unit’s 50-megawatt steam generator would be installed to the network soon.
GEOCL explained that this comes as “part of the great and continuous efforts undertaken by the senior management of GECOL, and the follow-up to the General Administration of Production to improve and raise the capacities of production stations.”
The company expressed its thanks to the Indian company that carried out the works. As well as to the Algec Energy Company, the General Administration of Production, the North Benghazi Power Plant Administration and its technical staff, for their continuous efforts to raise the efficiency of the electrical network.
Since 2011, Libya has been suffering from a deficit in energy production. GECOL has adopted a program of load shedding hours in various cities and regions. The power cuts at peak times, especially in summer, exceeds 10 hours a day.
On Saturday, the United States said that it remains “concerned that the ongoing oil shutdown in Libya could lead to more frequent electricity outages for longer periods of time, and higher electricity generation costs throughout the summer.”
In a statement, the US Embassy in Libya also said that it remains committed to helping GECOL mitigate the electricity outages. It added that turning off unneeded electrical items, shifting electricity-intensive usage to off-peak hours, and reducing the use of air conditioning can help reduce the chances of blackouts. As well as allow GECOL to economize the fuel limitations caused by the oilfields shut down.
