Background
The electricity supply industry in Libya is the responsibility of the secretariat of Electricity. The national power company, General Electricity Company (GEC) has been rumoured to be discussing the possibility of allowing private investment in the sector. There is a separate corporation serving the city of Benghazi, on the East Coast of the Gulf of Sirte in the north. Most stations are oil-fired, though some have been converted to gas. In 1993 installed capacity was exclusively thermal capacity.
Libya currently has an installed generation capacity of 4500 MW.
Plans for an interconnection with the Tunisian system of Société Tunisienne de l’Electricité et du Gaz (STEG) have been in existence for some time.
Projects
Four power stations are being built by Alcatel-Cegelec and a 600km 225 kV interconnection with Tunisia is also under construction. Libya, Tunisia and Egypt have been discussing the possibility of linking the national grids of the three countries.
An Egyptian firm, Kahromica, has won a contract to rehabilitate a tank farm for six power plants. There are plans to develop other gas-fired facilities. These include a 450-megawatt (MW), gas-fired power plant in Sebha, an 800-MW power plant in Zuwara on the west coast, and a 1,400-MW power plant to be located on the coast between Benghazi and Tripoli. A large new power station and desalination plant is under construction at Sirte.
The Export-Import Bank of South Korea has agreed to lend US$ 99 million of the US$ 299 million required to expand and upgrade the 450 MW Benghazi North power plant. The project will convert the plant to combined cycle and double its capacity.
The GEC’s largest current undertaking is the expansion of Libya’s power substation network to beyond the centres of Benghazi, Sebha and Tripoli.
Eskom Enterprises’ vision is to be the leading energy and related services business in emerging markets. Through our subsidiaries, we are engaged in a quest to develop and unleash Africa’s energy potential. Our track record so far is impressive: we assisted in the construction of more than 26 000 km of transmission line that spans virtually the entire Southern African region; some of the biggest and most advanced power generation plants in Africa have been built by us; through refurbishment, we have given Africa’s power industry a new lease of life; we supply energy management skills to a number of African governments.
The Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa is a self-financing, national development finance institution focusing on contributing to economic growth, industrial development and economic empowerment through its financing activities.
