Sources: 2nd Turkish Power Barge to Set Anchor in Weeks
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.
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