Fuel traders are concealing their stock of diesel fuel in underground containers in Lebanon, the head of the Association of Private Generator Owners, Abdo Saadeh, said on Tuesday.
“Diesel fuel is stored underground in traders’ tanks and is being sold on the black market,” Saadeh said in an interview with Al-Jadeed.
Lebanon’s fuel crisis has been causing prolonged blackouts across the country in both state-supplied electricity and the private power generation sector.
At the same time, the crisis has seen electricity bills spike as the Lebanese pound crumbles against the U.S. dollar.
With the high temperatures being recorded this summer, the blackouts are becoming even more unbearable than before.
The fuel shortage recently forced the American University of Beirut to switch off its central air conditioning in order to maintain a supply of electricity to its essential departments and its medical center.
“Give us diesel fuel so that the citizen does not suffer from rationing and for the bill to be cut in half,” Saadeh said on Tuesday.
Saadeh had warned a month ago that private generator bills would double to reach 1 million Lebanese pounds for a 5-amperes subscription after having been 500,000 pounds for the previous month.
Meanwhile, state-supplied electricity is available for no more than a few hours per day.
The crisis is also forcing the Electricity of Zahle, which is known for providing sustainable electricity to Zahle and nearby villages, to shut off its generators completely.
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