Next Monday, the deadline granted by the Electricité du Liban to departments, public institutions, and municipalities that are delinquent in paying their dues expires, provided that they intend to cut off electricity supply to them successively. Despite repeated warnings directed at it, dozens of institutions and departments are still behind in paying the amount of $248 million to the institution, which suffers from a lack of funding to provide electricity to the Lebanese.
The sources of the “Electricité du Liban” confirmed that it is continuing to implement the Board of Directors’ decision against all institutions and departments that are late in paying, starting Monday morning, pointing out in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “this is also being done under the directives of the Minister of Energy.”
Rafic Hariri International Airport raised its voice on Wednesday after a power outage for long hours, announcing that it “operates without power supply from the public network, which forced it to rely on backup electricity generators to ensure continuity of operation and maintain the possible limit of work regularity in the various facilities and equipment.”
On Saturday, the Lebanese Air Transport Association (UTA) warned against cutting off electricity to the airport. He warned in a statement, “against the Ministry of Energy and Electricité du Liban’s persistence in resorting to negativity and malicious practice in a vital and strategic sector such as the airport.” He wished the Ministry of Energy “to be aware of any harm it causes to Lebanon and its connection to the outside world.”
The Ministry of Energy responded to the Air Transport Association, accusing it of “misrepresenting the facts and trying to evade the financial responsibilities resulting from the airport’s management.” She stressed that “the problem is not with Rafic Hariri International Airport, which constitutes Lebanon’s gateway to the world and a vital facility for the national economy, but rather with the principle of evading responsibilities and financial obligations.” She said: “The demand to assume responsibilities and pay dues is not a threat, targeting, or malicious measure. Rather, it is a legal and financial duty, and a basic condition to ensure the continuity of the public facility and the regularity of its services.”
Many linked the power outage to the implementation of its threats by the Electricité du Liban. However, sources in the Ministry of Energy explained that “the reason for the power outage at the airport on Wednesday was purely technical, and has been resolved, but the possibility of the power being cut off from the airport on Monday still exists, given that those concerned did not communicate with either the ministry or the Electricité du Liban to pay the dues of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, which exceed 22 million and 800 thousand US dollars,” pointing out in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “several institutions and departments contacted us to avoid cutting off the power on Monday, but Any amounts of money have not yet reached us.”
The default in payment applies to the Palestinian camps, as - according to the sources of the Electricité du Liban - the dues range between 60 and 70 million dollars, according to the new tariff, noting that the corporation has not yet issued invoices related to the old tariff, and these are separate dues from the amounts due according to the new tariff, which increased from what it was after the deterioration of local currency prices due to the living and economic crisis that has struck Lebanon since 2019.
The Foundation, represented by Director General Kamal Hayek, held meetings with the Palestinian Ambassador. The sources said that the ambassador “expressed responsiveness and a promise to follow up on the issue.” The institution also requested a direct meeting with representatives of various Palestinian factions, most notably the Fatah movement and the Hamas movement, to present the mechanism for paying dues and agree on a payment schedule.
The sources indicate that the decision to cut off electricity to the camps is still on the table, in parallel with the ongoing communications and negotiations to reach a mechanism to pay the dues.
A source in the Electricity Regulatory Authority confirms that “the corporation has the right to cut off power to individuals, institutions, and departments that are late in paying, especially since it has been given repeated deadlines with no response,” pointing out in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the corporation is suffering from the high cost of oil, and from continuous technical and non-technical waste, and therefore to ensure the stability of the network, it is forced to take harsh measures against those who are late.”
On the other hand, Ghassan Beydoun, former Director General of Investment and expert at the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies, has a completely different opinion, as he stresses that “It is not right or permissible for (Electricité du Liban) to cut off the power to any public facility, not Beirut Airport, nor other water or telecommunications institutions, or government hospitals. It is considered a crime, given the risks that this interruption poses to the operation of the facility, or the movement of aircraft, and perhaps the lives of passengers, especially since the institution is a partner in responsibility for the delay in issuing its bills as well as the failure to Its commitment to paying the dues owed by it, as well as its failure to adhere to the provisions of reducing the tariff that required its implementation with the decline in the price of a barrel of Brent from $110 to $70 gradually earlier,” considering that “the tariff should have been reduced by about 35 percent, during the last years before the Gulf War and the Strait of Hormuz crisis.”
In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Beydoun also holds the corporation responsible for “collecting a fixed meter fee without ensuring 24/24 nutrition as required by its investment system, which led to its bills including undue amounts that should have been deducted from the value of bills issued for previous years starting from 2023,” recalling that the 2026 general budget currently being implemented - which includes state administrations as well as the budgets of public institutions, in principle - does not accommodate the possibility of paying previous year’s bills, except in Some special cases. He adds: “(Electricité du Liban) has introduced the financial chaos it is experiencing into the state budget and other public utility budgets. The first steps to address such phenomena must begin by rebuilding trust between the corporation and its subscribers, including citizens, departments, public institutions, and economic sectors exhausted by the electricity crisis.
Asharq Al-Awsat obtained official figures for the dues of a large number of departments, public institutions, and municipalities, including the Ministry of Interior, whose dues amounted to about 149 million dollars, 23 million from the South Lebanon Water Corporation, 7 million from the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Corporation, 5 million from the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces, 5.4 million from the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, 3 million from the Bekaa Water Corporation, and 1.34 million from the Ministry of Finance. And 1.7 million on the municipality of Sohmor in the Bekaa, eastern Lebanon, and other institutions.
