In a time of agonizing power cuts and severe electricity rationing in Lebanon, all eyes are directed at the state-owned electricity company: the Electricité du Liban.
Recently, social media users in Lebanon have been circulating a post claiming that the “Electricity of Lebanon” is securing round-the-clock electricity coverage for its own main building thanks to private generators.
Did the institution really make such an announcement?
Claim: The Electricité du Liban (EDL) is buying electricity from private generators to keep its headquarters fully powered.
Verdict: The claim is false; the EDL denied it.
Context:
It is unclear whether the post in question started out as a joke, as some social media users have pointed out, before being mistaken as a real statement by the EDL.
Nonetheless, it quickly took off as a legitimate news piece and was widely shared across social media platforms in Lebanon, sparking sarcastic comments and criticism of the public institution for its alleged new measure.
What contributed to the post’s believability was the fact that many Lebanese areas have been facing severe power rationing due to a shortage in diesel fuel, of which three shipments are scheduled to arrive separately between July 6th and 13th.
This, as the circulated post’s captions and comments claimed, had a direct effect on the EDL itself and caused it to resort to subscribing to a private generator to make up for its shortage of power.
The “statement,” falsely attributed to the EDL, said that the institution successfully secured “the electrical supply for the main building permanently (24/24) by subscribing for electricity from private generators.”
Speaking to Lebanon24, a source of the EDL asserted that “what is being circulated is completely false.”
On a side note, as candle and lantern sales rise, the Lebanese Cabinet took a step forward on the path to reform the country’s battered electricity sector.