Amid the crippling economic and social crises in Lebanon, dozens set off from the shores of impoverished Tripoli, before their boat capsized leaving six dead and many more missing.
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Lebanon’s electricity sector teeters on the brink of collapse Power cuts increase as country’s financial crisis hits fuel imports and payments to power plants
Protesters block a road with burning tyres, during a demonstration against power cuts in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
A demonstrator stands silhouetted between burning tyres, during a protest against power cuts in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
A protester leaps over burning tyres, during a protest against power cuts in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
A demonstrator against power cuts stands in front burning tyres in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
It is estimated that half of Lebanon s population of seven million people live below the poverty line. EPA
About 18 kilometers north of Beirut, the site of a deadly explosion that killed more than 190 people and injured over 6000 last summer, lies an aging thermal power facility that has served beyond its design lifespan. Although it should have been decommissioned by now, the heavy fuel oil (HFO)-powered Zouk power plant and its infamous white and red striped smokestacks remain standing, despite its low efficiency and high operating costs.
For more than a decade, Lebanese officials have had various opportunities to steer away from environmentally harmful energy sources and switch to natural gas. But the plans never got off the drawing board. Having failed to shift to safer fuel sources and reduce polluting facilities, the Lebanese government has pressed on instead with ad hoc policies, and recently has been considering Iraqi fuel oil amid a ravaging financial crisis. However, to persist in purchasing cheap residual fuel oil which is high in sulfur content for power generation, implies