Turkish Firm Tells Lebanon to Fix Debts, End Legal Action or Face Power Cut

Turkish Firm Tells Lebanon to Fix Debts, End Legal Action or Face Power Cut

This picture taken on September 19, 2018 shows the Turkish-owned MV Karadeniz Powership Fatmagul Sultan, moored off the shore of Zouk Mosbeh, north of the capital Beirut. (Getty Images)

Turkey's Karadeniz, which supplies electricity to Lebanon from power barges, said on Tuesday Beirut must halt legal action to seize its vessels and sort out arrears or it will shut down supplies to the country that is mired in a financial crisis.

A Lebanese prosecutor issued a decision last week to seize the barges and fine the firm after TV channel al-Jadeed reported corruption allegations tied to the power contract.

The firm denies the charges and said at the weekend it had not been paid for 18 months, a period coinciding with Lebanon's financial crunch. It also said it wants to find a "reasonable solution" to keep generation going.

A spokesperson for Karpowership, a unit of Karadeniz that operates the floating plants, made Tuesday's comments after Lebanon's Finance Ministry cited a lawmaker saying the country could face "total darkness" if the company shut down supplies.

Even before the economic crisis, Lebanon was unable to meet power demand, forcing many people to rely on private generators. Daily power cuts have been growing steadily longer, lasting much of