Algeria rushes fuel oil to ease Lebanon’s power crisis

ALGIERS/BEIRUT, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the immediate shipment of fuel oil to Lebanon, which is facing a severe power shortage, the state-run Algerian Radio reported Sunday.
The decision was communicated by Algeria’s Prime Minister Nadir Larbaoui to Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, according to the report.
Larbaoui assured Mikati that the shipment reflects Algeria’s commitment to supporting Lebanon “in these challenging times,” powering Lebanon’s electricity generation stations and helping restore its power grid, said the report.
Also on Sunday, Mikati’s office issued a statement, which said the Lebanese prime minister thanked Algeria for the shipment decision as well as for “Algeria’s continued support for Lebanon in all fields.”
Lebanon’s power grid has suffered a complete shutdown after its last functioning power plant ran out of fuel, disrupting vital infrastructure across the country, including airports, seaports, water pumps, sewage systems and prisons.
The crisis is further exacerbated by Lebanon’s severe economic and financial crisis since 2019 that has made the country incapable of financing fuel imports, as well as by delays in newly-agreed Iraqi fuel shipments due to what Lebanese Energy Minister Walid Fayyad called “logistical reasons.”
The scarcity of supplies has left most of Lebanon’s residents reliant on private generators and solar panels for electricity. ■