EDL approves restarting idle Zouk and Jiyeh power plants, unit by unit
The $300 million plants have sat idle amid a legal dispute with their operator.
The board of Électricité du Liban gave preliminary approval on 12 October to restart the Zouk and Jiyeh power plants, An-Nahar and Al-Modon reported, citing the board's statement. Only units proven safe will run, after the manufacturer, MAN (Everllence), documents its inspections.
A committee must draw up a detailed plan of which units can operate, the work needed and its cost. The decision preserves EDL's claims against the operator, which has taken the dispute to the State Council, where an expert review is under way, according to An-Nahar.
An-Nahar valued the plants at about $300 million and said they would run on heavy fuel oil costing about half the fuel now used. Sources following the file told Al-Modon the restart will not happen within days, and that the main obstacle is judicial rather than fuel.
Plants worth hundreds of millions should not stand idle while families pay for generators. The Lebanese deserve a clear timetable.
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