Top government, parliamentary, and investment officials coordinate urgent response and long-term strategies to stabilize Libya’s electricity sector
Soldecanarias.net / Benghazi
Amid growing public frustration over ongoing blackouts, Libyan authorities held a high-level emergency meeting in Benghazi to address the country’s deepening electricity crisis and define a unified national response. The meeting brought together key figures from the executive, legislative, and financial branches of government.
Prime Minister Dr. Osama Hamad and Speaker of the House of Representatives, H.E. Aguila Saleh, jointly led the session at the Cabinet headquarters. Also present were Issa Al-Aribi, Chairman of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee; Dr. Omar Tantoush, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Planning and Finance; Eng. Belqasem Haftar, Director General of the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund; Dr. Awad Al-Badri, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy; and Mr. Ali Al-Saeedi, Minister of Investment.
Discussions focused on the deteriorating state of the national power grid and the systemic challenges faced by the General Electricity Corporation (GECOL). Participants reviewed operational bottlenecks, technical breakdowns, and funding gaps, while also evaluating proposals for sectoral reform and infrastructure revitalization.
Speaker Aguila Saleh emphasized the urgent need to approve a comprehensive budget that ensures the continuity of critical services and addresses long-standing energy challenges. “Supporting the electricity sector is not just a technical requirement—it is a foundation for national economic and social stability,” he stated.
Energy Committee Chair Issa Al-Aribi announced plans to draft a detailed technical report identifying the root causes of the outages, and to develop a long-term national energy strategy. The objective is to secure reliable power supply for citizens and vital institutions alike.
Prime Minister Osama Hamad described the electricity crisis as a daily hardship for Libyan families and businesses. He called for both immediate mitigation measures and the modernization of energy infrastructure in line with broader national development plans.
Minister Al-Badri presented a comprehensive overview of the Ministry’s efforts, highlighting the collapse of key substations and aging equipment across multiple cities. He stressed that a sector-wide restructuring plan has been proposed, but that its success hinges on appropriate budgetary allocations.
Investment Minister Al-Saeedi outlined opportunities for leveraging Libya’s natural resources to achieve energy self-sufficiency, particularly through investment in renewable energy. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to launch several investment initiatives aligned with rising national energy demands.
Engineer Belqasem Haftar, Director of the Development and Reconstruction Fund, reiterated the Fund’s commitment to supporting the energy portfolio and coordinating efforts across institutions to ensure infrastructure development becomes a pillar of national reconstruction.
This meeting reflects ongoing coordination between Libya’s government, parliament, and development entities to consolidate national efforts, ensure data-driven policy decisions, and implement executable strategies aimed at restoring energy stability—essential for economic recovery and quality of life across the country.
