• Home
• Power & Utilities
• News Article

EDL power cuts increase amid heat wave

03 August 2010

BEIRUT: Lebanon had to endure another round of ruthless electricity rationing this summer amid one of the worst heat waves that has hit the country in more than a decade.

State-owned Electricite du Liban ( EDL ), which earned a notorious reputation due to its inefficiency and poor management, attributed the acute power shortage in most parts of the country to mounting pressure on the existing electricity plants and to the flow of millions of expatriates and tourists.

Outside of Beirut, most of the country experiences 12 to 16 hours of power cuts a day.

EDL officials always give the same reason for the power rationing: “We don’t have enough power stations to meet growing consumption.”

At present, Lebanon produces less than 1,600 MW of electricity although the country requires at least 2,400 MW.

To make matters worse, the heat wave this summer, one of the worst in several years, has forced many Lebanese to subscribe to larger electricity plans from private power providers in order to handle the large amounts of electricity required to operate air-conditioning units in their homes.

Hotels and large institutions outside Beirut have installed powerful generators to provide them with round the clock of electricity supplies.

The average cost of 5 amperes of electricity per month is usually $40 but with the increasing rationing the cost has more than doubled.

“I used to pay $80 for 10 amperes but my bill exceeded $120 last month because EDL provided us with less than 7 hours of electricity,” a resident of Naccash in the northern Metn told The Daily Star.

Frustrated by the indifference of EDL , many citizens in the southern suburbs, Bekaa, Akkar and Tripoli blocked roads with burning tires and rocks in a desperate bid to pressure the government to do something about the severe power rationing.

Many citizens complain that they receive three hours of electricity a day and in some cases, like in the southern suburbs, power cuts last for two to three days continuously.

However, despite the complaints from citizens and the occasional public disturbances, EDL officials and Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil say they don’t have a quick fix for this problem.

Bassil has promised the Lebanese that their electricity problems would be resolved four year from now if the funds became available for his plan, which calls for allocating $4.870 billion to boost power production from 1,500 MW to 4,000 MW in 2014.

Out of this $4.870 billion, the state would spend $1.550 billion, the private sector $2.320 billion and the remaining $1 billion would come in the form of soft loans from donor countries.

The plan calls for investing another $1.650 billion in the long run so Lebanon can produce 5,000 MW of electricity.

“If we provided 24 hours of electricity and raised slightly the bill on consumers then Electricite du Liban ( EDL ) will start making a profit for the first time instead of suffering a constant deficit,” Bassil said.

The report warned that if this plan were not adopted in full then the EDL would continue to bleed financially and total accumulated losses in 2015 would reach $9.5 billion. – The Daily Star

© Copyright The Daily Star 2010.