Watch: Algerian Fuel Tanker Aids Power-Strapped Lebanon

An Algerian oil tanker departed on Thursday, carrying 30,000 tons of fuel destined for Lebanon, a country struggling with severe power shortages amid a prolonged economic crisis, according to official media reports.

Lebanon, which has faced political instability, economic collapse over the past five years, and routine power outages, has seen its situation worsen due to ongoing clashes in the south since last October.

Algerian Prime Minister Nadir Larbaoui informed Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati by phone about President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s decision to support Lebanon by supplying fuel to restart power plants and restore electricity, as reported by Algeria’s official APS news agency.

While this initial shipment is on its way, further deliveries are expected, although specific details have not yet been provided.

President Tebboune’s decision to assist Lebanon came after Lebanon’s state electricity company announced last Saturday that its turbines would cease operations due to a lack of fuel.

Lebanese citizens, who have grown accustomed to nearly continuous power cuts, have relied on small private generators to meet their electricity needs.

Algeria, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), joins other OPEC nations in offering support to Lebanon. In August 2022, Iraq, another OPEC member, agreed to renew a one-year deal to supply Lebanon with one million tons of fuel for its power plants in exchange for in-kind services. This arrangement allowed Lebanon’s power stations to generate one to two hours of electricity per day.