BEIRUT: Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil has urged state-run Electricite du Liban to distribute electricity equally throughout the country and called on citizens receiving poor service to protest and demand their rights, An-Nahar reported Tuesday.
The daily newspaper quoted Bassil as requesting that "Electricite du Liban use an equality [formula] in distributing electricity to all areas compared to Beirut as it is not acceptable for Beirut to be fed with 21 hours of electricity while Sin el-Fil gets only 11 hours.”
Bassil’s comments come as various parts of the country, including the Chouf region and south Lebanon, witness increasingly severe electricity cuts, prompting street protests in the affected areas calling on Bassil to resign.
The administrative center of Beirut enjoys the most hours of electricity compared to other parts of the capital and outlying regions.
Last September, the government approved a plan worth some $1.2 billion to overhaul the overburdened electricity sector. The plan called for the construction of new power plants to boost electricity supply by 700 MW. It also called for going ahead with plans to lease electricity-generating ships.
Bassil, who has come under pressure due to repeated electricity cuts this year, urged citizens to demonstrate and demand their rights.
“He urged those who pay electricity bills and only receive a few hours of it and those who abide by the law and yet receive a low percentage of distribution to prepare themselves to take to the streets and demand their rights,” An-Nahar said.
Bassil has warned that further electricity rationing is likely this year.
EDL’s power plants generate some 1,600 MW, while the country as a whole needs over 2,300 MW.
Meanwhile, Future Movement MP Mohammad Qabbani accused Bassil of lying to the public, and criticized his remarks that EDL should distribute electricity supply equally between Beirut and other areas.
“Bassil is violating the law and is lying to people, and he is trying to cover up his failure by turning people against one another,” Qabbani told LBC Television in an interview Tuesday.
Qabbani also said that Bassil is violating the law, given that under the recently endorsed electricity bill, Bassil should have created a monitoring body to follow-up on spending.