Fuel shortage forces shutdown of main Lebanese power plants

Deir Ammar and Zahrani power plants stop functioning as a result of running out of diesel, prompting sporadic protests.

The two main power plants in crisis-hit Lebanon have gone out of commission, effectively stopping all state electricity in the country.

The shutdown on Saturday of the Deir Ammar and Zahrani plants, which have generated very limited electricity in recent months, took place due to a diesel fuel shortage, sources said.

Residents of Halba in the northern Akkar province protested at the regional office of the state-run producer Electricite du Liban (EDL). In nearby Tripoli, angry residents blocked roads with cars and burning tyres after power cuts worsened water shortages.