The electricity supply industry in Libya is the responsibility of the secretariat of Electricity. There is a separate corporation serving the city of Benghazi, on the east coast of the Gulf of Sidra in the north. Power production capacity is currently 4.5 GW. Most stations are oil-fired, though some have been converted to gas.
In 1993 installed capacity was exclusively thermal capacity. 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. The stage of development of this project is not known.
Libya has converted several thermal power stations on the coast to gas. Four power stations are being built by Alcatel-Cegelec and a 600km 225 kV interconnection with Tunisia is also under construction.
An Egyptian firm, Kahromica, has won a contract to rehabilitate a tank farm for six power plants. This project is due for completion in July 2000.
There are plans to develop other gas-fired facilities, but none seem to be going ahead at the moment. 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. The long standing combined power and desalination complex in Sirte is still a possibility, although several bids have been made.
