Electricity Crisis... Emergency Pricing?

Energy Minister Walid Fayad revealed that he is seeking a solution to ensure the continuity of production in electricity plants, especially after failing to secure funding from the World Bank for gas supply to the Deir Ammar plant. The idea that Fayad shared with “An-Nahar” involves purchasing diesel to operate power plants and pricing it for citizens based on production costs, under the title of emergency and exceptional electricity pricing until a permanent solution is achieved. In this context, Fayad indicated that “a quick mechanism must be found to buy fuel other than Iraqi fuel, and I am thinking of urgent and parallel mechanisms to ensure continuous electricity supply, including, for example, purchasing diesel and pricing electricity based on the cost of the material, to cover its costs. This way, at least the cost of electricity in homes would be less than that of private generators, and there would be an emergency tariff.” He noted that “in Zahle, for instance, electricity is provided for up to 18 hours a day, and I price from the Ministry of Energy, and they adhere to the pricing. Therefore, I am currently considering this issue, but I still don’t know if it requires a law.”