Lebanon signed an agreement with Egypt and Syria, allowing the import of Egyptian gas to Lebanon, estimated to be 650 million cubic liters, reaching the Deir Ammar plant, generating 4 hours of electricity supply. However, the signing ceremony did not mention the timeline for bringing in the gas, the cost, or even the funding party, which are essential points; if they are absent from the agreement, it would be merely formal and of no real value.
Member of the Leadership Council of the Progressive Socialist Party, Mohammad Bsoobos, and an expert in energy affairs, considered that "the agreement is a formal protocol, but it has no value. Lebanon has not made any progress in the process of importing gas from Egypt since the relevant funding entity has not yet given any approval." In an interview with the electronic newspaper "Al-Anbaa," Bsoobos pointed out that "without starting an electricity sector reform process, the World Bank will not provide any funding, especially since it wants to ensure the recovery of its money. Any talk about political reasons hindering funding is incorrect and falls within the media propaganda organized by the Ministry of Energy to cover up the lack of reform."
While Minister of Energy Walid Fayyad spoke about an emergency plan that includes a tariff increase, which would secure revenues for Electricité du Liban, Bsoobos viewed this as "an attempt to entice the World Bank, but it is unsuccessful since the waste percentage in Lebanon has exceeded 55%. Increasing tariffs means increasing waste, which the World Bank warned about years ago." Bsoobos conditioned any solution for the sector on launching a genuine reform process, "comprising the removal of violations, improving collections, and repairing networks, which are tasks for the service providers who receive their fees."
