In order to meet the growing energy demand of the population, GECOL, which had begun operating two 500 KV electricity distribution substations earlier this month, has taken another step towards its goal.
164 MW is the capacity planned for the construction of the new gas-fired power plant announced on 26 January by the Libyan electricity producer General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL). Construction of the plant, estimated to cost $134 million, will be completed over the next five months and is located in the city of Zliten.
The infrastructure will include four 41 MW turbines and is expected to help stabilize the national grid, which has been damaged by security instabilities that have prevailed in Libya since 2011.
“The construction of the plant has received full approval from the Audit Office, and the procurement procedures for the installation of a second 170 MW plant are complete,” said Ibrahim Falah, Executive Director of GECOL.
Also as part of its policy to improve the country’s electricity supply, earlier this month, GECOL and the Libyan state-owned oil company NOC held a meeting in Tripoli to discuss ways of cooperating between the two sides to supply power plants in different parts of the country. This with sufficient amounts of natural gas to ensure their continued operation.
However, the lack of security and the lack of approval of the budgets needed to fill the energy deficit facing citizens is an obstacle to the proper continuity of supply operations.
Alternative energy projects such as solar energy could therefore open up new opportunities for GECOL in its quest to deliver low-cost electricity.
