Blackout in Lebanon leaves country in darkness

Lebanon it has run out of electricity, and this has left the country in the dark amid a serious economic crisis.

A government official told the news agency Reuters that the two largest power plants in the country, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, had closed due to the fuel shortage.

The power grid “completely shut down today at noon” and is unlikely to restart for several days, he added.

Over the past 18 months, Lebanon has been through a severe economic crisis that has worsened amid a fuel shortage.

The crisis has left half of its population in poverty, the country’s currency has also suffered and all this has generated a series of important demonstrations against the political class.

Meanwhile, the lack of foreign exchange it has made it difficult for foreign energy providers to pay.

Private generators

Many Lebanese already depend on private generators that run on diesel to get energy.

However, these have become increasingly expensive to operate amid fuel shortages and cannot cover the lack of a nationwide power grid.

People generally received only two hours of electricity a day before this latest blackout.

The country is also grappling with the aftermath of the Beirut explosion in August 2020, which killed 219 people and injured 7,000 others.

After the explosion the government resigned, leaving the country in political paralysis. Najib Mikati became prime minister in September, more than a year after the previous government resigned.

Last month, the militant group Hezbollah brought Iranian fuel into the country to ease the shortage. His opponents say the group is using the fuel supply to expand its influence.

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