Key facts
- A drone strike on the South Zawiya substation caused a complete power outage and severe damage.
- The attack has hindered repair efforts and led to the withdrawal of technical teams.
- This incident follows previous drone strikes on the Zawiya oil refinery and its power plant.
- The attacks occur amid rising tensions between the government of western Libya and local militias.
- No group has claimed responsibility for the drone strikes.
A drone strike on Wednesday ignited a fire at an electrical facility in Zawiya, western Libya, causing a complete power outage and severe damage. The state-run General Electricity Company stated that the South Zawiya substation, which connects power plants to homes and businesses, was completely burned down. Footage showed massive flames erupting from the facility.
The attack resulted in outages across the southern parts of the city, located approximately 47 kilometers west of the capital, Tripoli. This incident follows a series of drone strikes targeting energy and oil infrastructure in the region. On Monday, a drone strike hit a fuel-laden tank at Zawiya’s refinery, causing a large fire that took over 15 hours to extinguish. The city's power plant was also targeted by two drones on Tuesday, with one damaging its firefighting system and another landing near its main fuel storage, igniting a fire.
Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of one of Libya’s rival governments, condemned the attacks on energy installations as a serious crime and an escalation. He vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
Following Tuesday's attack on the power plant, U.S. company General Electric withdrew its teams from the facility due to security concerns, prolonging the loss of more than 700 megawatts of the Zawiya power station’s production capacity, which is estimated at 1300 megawatts.
The violence occurred as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Tripoli to meet with Dbeibah and Mohammad Younes Menfi, chairman of the Presidential Council. Libya has been divided by conflict since 2011, with rival administrations backed by armed groups and foreign governments.