The head of the Association of Power Generator Owners, Abdo Saadeh, announced on Monday that the fees for generator subscriptions will now double because of the rising fuel prices.
He noted that a 5-ampere subscription will now cost a 1,000,0000 LBP. Normally, 5 amperes are not enough in most households, especially during the hot summer when people wish to turn on their air conditioners.
This comes at a time when the state has been failing to supply electricity as it used to, leaving people almost completely dependent on backup power generators.
However, generator owners across the country have been rationing power for several hours a day due to the rising price of diesel and to reduce the fee on their clients.
“Rationing continues because diesel fuel is only available on the black market,” Saadeh said in a separate statement to MTV. “With the increase in the price of the diesel fuel tank, the price of electricity from power generators will rise, and we are not responsible for this issue.”
Lebanon In The Dark
Depending on the city, state electricity supply has reduced to a mere hour. Some people have been getting 10 minutes of electricity every 12 hours at most:
Min el manyak at the EDL who gives us power for 2-10 minutes every 12 hours? Balehon walla.
— Halim Shebaya (حليم شبيعة) (@halimshebaya) July 10, 2021
When asked how many hours of power cuts they experience on a daily basis, someone in the audience, Chantal Arnaout, told The961, “The better question is: how many hours of electricity do you get?”
Two others responded that they lost count, which goes to show that it made no difference since state electricity was so scarce they were simply dependent on private power generators.
All this is taking place after empty promises from Lebanese officials that there would be an improvement soon. It justs begs the question, where do we go from here?
