SIDON, Lebanon: A 20 megawatt transformer – at the root of a dispute that left much of the country in the dark over the weekend – was transported Monday from the southern city of Sidon to the power plant in Zahrani.

The transfer was part of a deal worked out between Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

A crane was used to lift the massive transformer, which was transported later in the day to Zahrani, Lebanon’s second-largest power plant, some 7 kilometers south from Sidon.

Electricity production resumed Sunday after Mikati and Berri swayed southern municipalities into ending the protest which forced the plant’s closure Friday.

The shutdown was reportedly in protest at a decision by Electricite Du Liban to replace a 40 MVA transformer with a much smaller unit, with sources telling The Daily Star that employees had come under threat from municipalities and “street gangs” to shut the plant down.

Meanwhile, EDL employees were putting the final touches on a 40 megawatt transformer the Sidon power plant had received. The transformer is to be connected to the company’s main power grid.

In a related incident, angry residents shut down the main highway linking the southern port city of Tyre with the border town of Naqoura temporarily Monday morning to protest continued power cuts.

The blocking of the road – with burning tires, rocks and cement barricades – caused delays for many vehicles, including some from the U.N. peacekeeping force and school buses.

Lebanese Army troops were called in but faced difficulty reopening the road thanks to the many obstacles created by protesters.