Drone Strike Destroys Zawiya Substation, Cutting Power to 250,000-Person Libyan City
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 12
Drone Strike Destroys Zawiya Substation, Cutting Power to 250,000-Person Libyan City
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 12
Summary
A drone strike on Wednesday burned down Zawiya’s electrical substation, knocking it out of service and cutting power across the southern part of the western Libyan city.
The state power company said the facility linked power plants to homes and businesses, making the hit the latest in a wave of attacks on Zawiya’s oil and electricity infrastructure.
Monday’s strike set a fuel tank ablaze at Zawiya’s refinery for more than 15 hours, and two drones hit the city’s power plant on Tuesday, damaging firefighting systems and igniting a fire near main fuel storage.
GE withdrew its teams from the power plant after Tuesday’s attack; the utility said earlier security pullouts had already prolonged the loss of more than 700 megawatts from the station’s 1,300-megawatt capacity.
The attacks come as tensions rise between Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah’s western government and local strongman Mohamed Bahroun, underscoring Libya’s wider split between rival western and eastern authorities.