On 6 June, the General Manager of the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) Abdullah Hamouda addressed an urgent letter to Government of National Unity (GNU) PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba, the Attorney General and the head of the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) demanding the necessary fuel to operate its power plants. The letter informed them that the operational situation at power plants ‘has reached a very critical stage as a result of the continued severe shortages in the supply of natural gas and light and heavy fuel oil’. It said this has caused the loss of more than 1000 megawatts of available production capacity.
GECOL said this is an unprecedented deficit in the public electricity grid that poses serious challenges to the grid, with real risks of losing more production capacity in the coming days if the current situation continues. Continued delays in providing the necessary fuel to power stations will lead to a widening deficit gap and increase load shedding hours across the country, with a risk of partial or total blackouts of the grid especially given the increased loads during the summer.
On 8 June, the GNU directed GECOL to prepare a comprehensive technical and operational plan for regulating electricity loads during peak periods. This plan aims to enhance the stability of the national grid and ensure the continuity of electricity supplies across all regions. The government emphasized the importance of adopting precise implementation mechanisms to regulate consumption. This will contribute to easing pressure on the grid during peak hours and improving the efficiency and stability of the electrical system. It also stressed the need to consider the energy needs of factories, projects, and entities with high consumption rates by regulating partial operation or operating according to specific timetables. This will achieve a balance between operational requirements and ensuring grid stability.