Electricity and then electricity, a key phrase that is almost the only thing on the lips of the envoys as a primary entry point for reform, while plans to rescue the sector from collapse continue to be made but remain mere ink on paper, as the country sinks deeper into darkness and rising production costs, affecting all sectors without exception due to power outages and the very high costs of generators or solar energy. Unfortunately, the file remains stagnant with no progress on the plan or on the import of electricity and gas from Egypt and Jordan, despite the numerous promises made by Minister of Energy Walid Fayyad.
In this context, Walid Jumblatt, the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, put forward a number of urgent proposals, which varied between political and technical. Politically, he called for the transfer of the Ministry of Energy to a reliable entity, while technically, he proposed building one power plant instead of depleting reserves, as well as adding production generators to the Zouk and Jiyeh plants. Despite a week having passed since these proposals, there has been no comment from the concerned parties, even at the level of follow-up.
Mohammad Basbous, a member of the leadership council of the Progressive Socialist Party, pointed out that "the demand for a reliable entity to take over the ministry is due to the current team's failure to implement any promised reforms, which is why the World Bank has backed away from supporting the sector, and what this team promised in terms of additional supply hours through energy import was mere illusions."
In an interview with the "Anbaa" electronic newspaper, he noted that "Lebanon needs one additional plant, but after implementing reforms, the most important of which is the appointment of a regulatory authority and combating both technical and non-technical waste, instead of wasting funds as currently happens." Regarding the proposal to develop existing plants, Basbous mentioned that this is certainly feasible, as it saves the state the need to prepare the site with infrastructure, which is already available at the current plant locations. In this context, he pointed out that preparing the ground for the Slaymata plant would cost the state 300 million dollars for land acquisition and infrastructure preparation, without the construction of the plant. With this amount, 500 megawatts can be secured through the development of one of the plants.
Basbous concluded his remarks by emphasizing the need to establish radical solutions and to move away from the temporary solutions adopted by the team currently in charge of the Ministry of Energy.
