Initial 70MW flow follows emergency support used to re-energise stations after Libya lost 1.35GW of generating capacity
Egypt has resumed electricity exports to Libya at an initial capacity of 70 megawatts, days after Egyptian power helped operators restart parts of the Libyan grid following a widespread system collapse.
The disruption began on July 18 when the 400-kilovolt transmission line between Misrata and Khoms was suddenly disconnected, according to Libya’s electricity ministry. The fault triggered the shutdown of several major generating units, removing about 1.35 gigawatts from the network and causing grid frequency to collapse.
Egypt initially supplied emergency power through the cross-border interconnector to re-energise key substations and allow Libyan generating units to restart. Libya’s official news agency said five units at the North Benghazi power station subsequently returned to service, with electricity restored gradually across eastern areas.
The 70MW transfer replaces only a small fraction of the capacity lost, but its principal function was to support the restoration process rather than meet Libya’s wider electricity deficit. The existing interconnector has a capacity of about 150MW, while the two governments have discussed expanding it to as much as 2GW.
The resumption also followed a partial settlement of Libya’s accumulated electricity-import arrears. Asharq Bloomberg reported that Tripoli paid about $100mn, while Masrawy put the payment at $84mn. Both reports indicate that roughly $40mn-$55mn remains outstanding, but no public official statement has reconciled the figures.
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