Electricité du Liban: Baalbek-Hermel province may be deprived of power for months

Electricité du Liban (EDL) announced that theft operations of the iron mesh corners supporting the high voltage towers in the northern Bekaa regions, specifically in the outskirts of Makneh in the Baalbek-Hermel province, have not stopped and are still ongoing for about a week. Two new towers 220 KV, numbered 19 and 20, were stolen and collapsed, bringing the total number of towers dropped and collapsed within a week to five.

However, the company warned of the "deprivation of electricity for most citizens in the Baalbek-Hermel province for long periods, which could be months."

In a statement, the company indicated that "maintenance teams affiliated with the institution intervened immediately after the violations occurred and have been trying to save the towers that were stolen and have not yet collapsed for about four days. Within the past two days, it was found that 14 towers near the 66 KV towers were also stolen, ranging from tower number 52 to 65, also on the outskirts of Makneh. These towers belong to the Baalbek-Laboueh-Hermel 66 KV transmission line, which feeds the Laboueh and Hermel stations directly. The towers are now on the verge of collapse, inevitably leading to a power outage in all northern Bekaa regions."

The company also highlighted that it "previously warned of the danger of what is happening and appealed again to all security authorities, specifically the military intelligence and information branch, all municipalities, parties, deputies, and activists to help identify the perpetrators and arrest them immediately."

"The material losses are severe, and the amount of damage is significant. The company's ability to repair this large amount of damage is very limited, and conducting a tender to rehabilitate the lines requires time, especially since the violations are still ongoing and have not stopped throughout the past week," it emphasized.

 The company hoped for an "immediate response to its calls before the deprivation of most citizens in the Baalbek-Hermel province of electricity for long periods, which could be months."