A transformer substation in Zawiya, about 40 kilometers west of Libya’s capital, Tripoli, came under a drone attack on Wednesday morning. A fire broke out at the facility following the attack.
The General Electricity Company of Libya said the South Zawiya Transformer Station had burned down completely and become unusable. The fire caused power outages across wide areas.
Power plant maintenance halted over security concerns
The company said recent attacks in Zawiya and the resulting security instability had caused direct damage to electricity facilities, transmission lines and grid equipment. The damage also affected maintenance work at the 1,300-megawatt Zawiya Power Plant.
The U.S. company working at the plant withdrew its technical teams in June because of security conditions. More than 700 megawatts of the plant’s capacity could not be supplied to the national grid because of delays in major maintenance work.
All work at the plant was halted, and the teams were evacuated until safe working conditions could be restored. The General Electricity Company of Libya warned that continued attacks on electricity infrastructure could jeopardize the stability of the national grid and lead to partial or widespread power outages.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Zawiya Refinery also targeted
The National Oil Corporation of Libya announced on Tuesday that the Zawiya Oil Refinery had been targeted for the fifth time since Sunday. The corporation said a drone carrying explosives struck the roof of a diesel tank, piercing it and causing a fire.
Emergency response teams brought the fire under control. On the same day, another drone targeted a different diesel tank at the refinery, also causing a fire. No casualties were reported in the two attacks.
The National Oil Corporation said refinery operations had resumed following the earlier attacks and that fuel supplies and reserves had not been affected.
Clashes continue in Zawiya
Clashes that began among armed groups in Zawiya last week spread to the nearby city of Sorman. People were killed and injured in the fighting, and a prison escape also took place.
Political and administrative divisions continue in Libya. The Tripoli-based Government of National Unity is led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, while Osama Hammad heads the rival administration based in Benghazi and appointed by the House of Representatives.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya is working to resolve disputes that have delayed national elections, which are expected to help end the political divisions and armed conflicts that have continued since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled the country for decades, in 2011.
