Algeria to supply Lebanon with fuel for power stations

Algeria will immediately begin supplying Lebanon with fuel for its power plants, Algerian state radio said in a statement on Sunday, after Lebanon's electricity company said the day before its supplies were exhausted.

Lebanon has not had round-the-clock power since the 1990s and cash transfers to Lebanon's state electricity company, Electricité du Liban (EDL) to cover chronic losses have contributed tens of billions of dollars to the country's huge public debt.

EDL on Saturday announced a complete nationwide power outage, including at critical facilities such as the airport.

It said then power supply would resume gradually once new fuel supplies were secured, either through a swap agreement with Iraq or other sources.

The Algerian state radio statement did not give any detail. 

Lebanon, currently teetering on the edge of full-scale conflict with Israel and grappling with economic difficulties, has struggled with persistent electricity issues for decades.

The financial support provided to the state electricity company has significantly contributed to the country's massive public debt.

(Reuters)