Turkish power barge gives Lebanon three months 'free' electricity

Turkish power barge gives Lebanon three months 'free' electricity
Esra Sultan, a Turkish 'power barge', docked in Lebanon’s coastal town of Jiyyeh on Wednesday evening, giving residents free electricity for three months.
1 min read
19 July, 2018
Lebanon faces frequent power cuts [Getty]

Lebanon's power grid will receive three months of "free" electricity thanks to a Turkish power barge.

Esra Sultan, the power barge, docked Wednesday evening in Lebanon's coastal town of Jiyyeh, having arrived on Sunday.

A statement released by the Turkish company Karadeniz said the barge will begin delivering electricity "within a few days after its docking" while not specificing when.

The barge will provide over 200 megawatts of electricity per day for three months to support the two other power barges that are already docked.

"Set to provide around additional 235 MW, the new powership will support the efforts of Fatmagul Sultan and Orhan Bey, which have been operating in Lebanon since 2013," the statement said.

The barge was intitially due to dock but Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil claimed the reasons for the dock delay were due to rough weather conditions.