Key facts
- Libya's electricity grid failed again on Monday, impacting western, central, and southern regions.
- The collapse forced the shutdown of the Great Man-Made River water system.
- Multiple power plants, including Zawiya, Khoms, and Ubari, went offline.
- This is the third major blackout in western Libya within two days.
- Weeks of power outages have led to public demonstrations and protests against the government.
- The energy crisis exacerbates political divisions between rival power centers in Libya.
Libya's electricity grid experienced another significant failure on Monday, plunging large areas of the country into darkness and disrupting essential services, including the vital Great Man-Made River water system. The collapse affected power plants in western, central, and southern regions, marking the third major blackout in western Libya in just two days. The cause of the widespread outages has not yet been determined.
The failure of the electricity grid has direct consequences for water supply, as the Great Man-Made River Authority announced that all its pumping stations were forced to stop operating. This network is crucial for providing water to a substantial portion of Libya's population.
These recurring power outages have fueled significant public anger, leading to demonstrations, road blockades, and the closure of government institutions. Protests have been directed at Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's Government of National Unity in Tripoli.
The energy crisis is intensifying the delicate political balance in Libya, which is divided between Dbeibah's government in the west and the Haftar family's base in the east. This fragile arrangement, which allows both sides access to state resources, is under increasing pressure from the public's discontent.
Recent incidents, including the storming of the Mellitah oil and gas complex and drone attacks on the Zawiya energy hub, have further destabilized the energy sector. The National Oil Corporation has warned that continued attacks could lead to force majeure on exports from Zawiya.
Libya aims to increase its oil production, but the revenues generated have not translated into reliable basic services like electricity, further straining the nation's stability.