Sources: 2nd Turkish Power Barge to Set Anchor in Weeks
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A second Turkish power-generating vessel aimed at providing an additional 85 megawatts of power was due to start operating on Wednesday but it would need several more weeks to reach Lebanon, sources said.
The sources from Karadeniz, the company that operates the ship, told al-Liwaa newspaper published Thursday that the barge needs more that four weeks to set anchor in Lebanon for technical reasons linked to the firm's base in Turkey.
Earlier this month, the first Turkish ship named Fatmagul Sultan resumed the 188-megawatt power generation after its malfunctions were fixed.
Its units were gradually reconnected to the grid after it had stopped its production in late April over bad fuel.
Chronic power shortages since the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war have been a main source of grievance among Lebanese who have had to put up with daily cuts.
Electricity output reaches 1,700 megawatts on average in the summer at a time when the demand stands at 2,500 megawatts.
But Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil promised Wednesday to supply Lebanon with 16 hours of electricity a day during the summer.
He said supply will reach 20-22 hours in the summer of 2014, and in 2015 the country will enjoy 24 hours of electricity a day.
13 June 2013, 09:43
33
See how big this barge is......That's what so so many lebanese governments failed to build over a period of more than 30 years to provide their citizens with the dignity to take a shower when they feel like it!!!!!
13 June 2013, 12:53
33
I don't agree phoenix. A few months back I posted the link to a very complete audit regarding the EDL that had been ordered to a French company I think. The document was pretty thick, but it stated that while 20% of the electricity in not paid (yes, they mentioned the regions), another 30% is not even invoiced! When bleeding to death, a small band-aid will only give you some time on the short term, but aggravate the problem in the long run!
Do you know why the EDL cannot be privatized? Nobody is interested! Go in the southern suburbs or villages, and the EDL collector gets shot at or mugged! We live in a country where the army is not free to go where it wants... who are we fooling...
13 June 2013, 15:53
12
The problem with electricity is political. Even the 20% non paid is not the big issue. The issue is that Mazout is imported by a mafia controlled by 3 politicians: Hariri-Berri-Jumblat. These people dont want electricity, they want to keep the generator mafia working because the mazout import is a cash cow for them.
On the other hand, generators are only so bad because they force everybody to pay, while our welfare state cannot force Ali from dahieh to pay....
