Lebanon's national electricity grid collapses

[Zorro]

Source: Washington Post

BEIRUT — Lebanon's electricity network collapsed on Saturday after the two most important power stations ran out of fuel, leaving private generators as the only source of power.

The state-owned electricity company has been providing citizens with just a few hours of power a day for months, but the total collapse of the national grid will compound the misery of those who can’t afford to run generators and had relied on those few hours.

The outage marks the latest milestone in the unraveling of Lebanon, which is undergoing what the World Bank has described as one of the world’s three biggest financial collapses of the past 150 years.

The banking system was the first to implode in 2019, triggering a 90 percent slide in the value of the currency that has left the government unable to afford fuel, food and medicine imports while plunging millions of Lebanese into poverty.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanon-power-beirut-electricity-collapse/2021/10/09/e2588e88-28fb-11ec-8739-5cb6aba30a30_story.html

[elleng]

1. 'ran out of fuel, leaving private generators as the only source of power.'

[Frasier Balzov]

2. Is this evidence of corruption?

It's probably a corrupted place.

[Lasher]

3. Zahrani & Deir Ammar have run out of fuel oil.

But they still have 6 other plants in this category that should be running. Further, they have 2 power ships and 11 hydroelectric resources. How can it be that their power grid is shut down when only these 2 facilities are offline?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Lebanon

[yaesu]

9. I think it boils down to capacity, they are trying to power the whole country on what they have

online plus they may be having problems getting parts for said power plants do to lack of funds which will need constant maintenance no matter what powers them. Also, qualified workers able to run the grid that are willing to work for little or short pay.

[localroger]

4. Lebanon part 1. Texas part 2. /nt

[PoliticAverse]

5. Beirut - once a paradise of the middle east...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/lebanons-collapse-continues-one-year-after-beirut-blast/100343112

[Ford_Prefect]

6. at one time Beirut was the center of banking in the region until the civil war of 1975.

Since then it has faced a terrible decline caught in the middle of local factions, East vs. West proxy wars and Saudi sponsored revolution.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

7. Gov. Abbott is sending representatives to Lebanon to see how they screwed it up so badly,

so the lessons can be applied to the Texas power grid and make it even more dysfunctional the next time it snows.

[2naSalit]

8. +1

[hatrack]

10. A handy preview of the end point of Republican "governance" . . . .

Those with the right connections grab with both hands, pile up the goodies and head for the door, leaving nothing of value behind.

[McKim]

11. The Power Plants Are Bombed

The power plants in Lebanon are bombed from time to time. This is a contributing factor in the failure to build and retain a functional power grid.

Lebanese are smart, modern and they were hopefully rebuilding their beautiful city until the port blew up and other catastrophes descended.

The US should be helping Lebanon recover, France is! They could be an important ally. Instead they are a pawn in the great game between the US and Iran, what a shame!!!

I weep for Lebanon, where my husband went to high school at ACS. We have been to visit a couple of times to witness the beautiful rebuilding after the wars.

[dalton99a]

12. The "Paris Of The Middle East" is now a corrupt dysfunctional third-world hellhole

[McKim]

13. Really?

Really? i hear that people are working hard to help each other in these most difficult times. It is not a social hell hole for sure. They care about each other which is more than I can say about many in the US.

[Marthe48]

14. We can't sustain this economic system

We have to find a better way to live on this planet

[EarthFirst]

16. Hopefully it is found in our childrens time...

I fear my wife and I may not live long enough to see it in our lifetime…

[Marthe48]

17. The irony of favorite movies set in forests

Like the Ewoks. Other movies set in times or places with none of the trappings of this life we live. Fantasies that we might not really want to live.

Every action we take toward a different reality is a step away from all that's wrong.

[seta1950]

15. Corruption

Is the reason Lebanon is failing, it’s been going on for ages, very sad , such a beautiful country 😢

[Calista241]

18. They don't even have a government after their last elections.

Neither big party can or will make the decisions compromises to form a government.

[OldBaldy1701E]

19. Wow

Who would have thought that unfettered greed and bloated self-interest would lead to such issues? But, of course, that will never happen here. Never.