Libya: Zawiya power plant burns down and goes out of service after attack.. power cut to wide areas
Attacks on Zawiya: General Electric withdraws its technical teams from the site, warns of maintenance delays and repair of damaged units, as security tensions continue in the city which has seen clashes and drone attacks.
Libya’s General Electricity Company announced on Wednesday that the “30/11 kV” substation south of Zawiya city went out of service and completely burned down following an attack, causing power outages in wide areas.
The company said that military attacks and security disturbances in Zawiya in recent days have caused severe damage to a number of power grid facilities and components, negatively impacting supply stability.
It added that US company General Electric has suspended all its work inside the Zawiya power plant and withdrawn its technical teams from work sites until security conditions and a suitable work environment are available, warning that this could lead to further delays in maintenance programs and restoring damaged units to service.
Drone attacks on Zawiya oil complex
The attack came after explosive-laden drone strikes targeted fuel tanks at the nearby Zawiya oil complex, which houses Libya’s largest operating refinery.
The renewed violence in the strategic city has disrupted Libya’s oil sector, with the National Oil Corporation warning of a possible declaration of force majeure if drone attacks on energy facilities continue.
ليبيا: طوارئ قصوى في الزاوية بعد سلسلة هجمات مسيرات على منشآت نفطية
أعلنت المؤسسة الوطنية للنفط حالة الطوارئ القصوى في منطقة الزاوية، عقب استهداف طائرة مسيرة خزان وقود رقم 402-T ما أدى إلى اندلاع حريق كبير وانهياره بالكامل. كان الخزان يحتوي على نحو 4.5 مليون لتر من بنزين… pic.twitter.com/X9XziLJPhO
— mahmoud khalil (@sahel2212) August 11, 2026
Escalating security tensions and targeting of security forces camp
Zawiya city in western Libya has witnessed security escalation involving the targeting of the power plant and a security forces camp by drones, with air defenses attempting to intercept them and fires breaking out at one of the targeted sites.
Local sources reported that a drone targeted the Zawiya power plant, causing limited damage, while another drone targeted the 77th camp belonging to the Security Threats Countermeasure Apparatus, causing a fire to break out inside it.
The escalation coincided with the sound of heavy anti-aircraft fire in various areas of the city in response to the targeted drones and other aircraft flying over Zawiya’s skies.
Clashes and prison break
These developments come as Zawiya has witnessed escalating security tensions for days, following violent clashes between local armed groups in early August, accompanied by mutual shelling with heavy weapons and casualties, as well as the escape of prisoners from the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution in the nearby city of Surman.
The UN Support Mission in Libya warned that continued military mobilization and security tensions put civilians’ lives at direct risk.
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