Lebanon’s Zahrani power plant shuts down after gas oil runs out

Lebanon’s Zahrani power plant has shut down operations after running out of gas oil, the state news agency NNA said quoting a statement by the country’s electricity company.

The company said there had been a delay offloading a spot cargo that arrived in Lebanon after complications arose as to the method through which the gas oil should be tested.

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The plant, in the south of Lebanon, is one of the four main power generation plants in the country.

Another cargo that was due to arrive from Kuwait was stuck in the Suez Canal after the waterway was blocked for nearly a week by a cargo ship.

Lebanon, which is grappling with a deep financial crisis triggered by a mountain of debt, already lacks power generation capacity, so homes and businesses face power cuts for several hours each day. Lebanon’s energy ministry has asked parliament to approve an emergency loan to fund fuel imports beyond March.

Parliament is convening on Monday to approve a $200 million fund that should keep imports flowing for two more months.

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