Khaberni - Lebanon witnessed a general and sudden electricity outage, causing widespread confusion in different areas, coinciding with the accompanying crowded religious and popular events during the visit of Pope Leo XIV to the country, according to local media.
The Electricité du Liban announced that the electrical grid completely went out of service during the afternoon hours, following a sharp and sudden drop in frequency, before the technical teams gradually managed to reconnect the production groups.
Hours after announcing the resolution of the issue, the plant disconnected again at sunset due to a sudden increase in frequency during the attempt to reconnect the remaining production groups, which exacerbated the crisis.
According to local media, the institution pointed out that managing and operating the network has become a highly complex operation after the loss of the national control center, which was completely destroyed in the Beirut port explosion in 2020, confirming that it is working to gradually restore power in various regions.
It added that concurrent with the Pope's visit, it would put most of the available production groups on the grid to increase the production capacity to about 900 megawatts, aiming to enhance the stability of the supply during the next three days, with exceptional measures to be informed to the citizens when necessary.
The electricity crisis coincides with celebratory atmospheres that Lebanon has been experiencing since the arrival of Pope Leo XIV two days ago, where tens of thousands of citizens from various sects came out to welcome him on the streets.
The Pope visited the sanctuary of Saint Charbel, known as "Saint of Lebanon", before presiding over a massive mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon, and in his address, urged Lebanese leaders to continue efforts for peace and internal cohesion, especially in light of the repeated Israeli attacks on the south despite the ceasefire agreement.
