The caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired the meeting of the "Ministerial Committee on the Electricity File" this afternoon, Monday, at the Grand Serail. After listening to a presentation from the General Director of Electricité du Liban, Kamal Hayek, regarding the stages of implementing the electricity plan and the factors for its success, it was decided to request that Electricité du Liban determine the new tariff based on the last exchange rate set by the Central Bank (for the Sayrafa platform), starting from the issuance date of July 1, 2023. Furthermore, the committee requested the extension of the work of the Board of Directors’ decision No. 285 - 15/2023 dated June 7, 2023, related to the amendment of the electricity tariff, which includes a 25% discount on the rehabilitation fee, a 25% discount on the subscription fee, and calculating 26 US cents per kilowatt-hour for non-subsidized consumption instead of 27 cents, until the issuance of June 2023.
The committee also decided to request that Electricité du Liban intensify communication with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to collect the dues owed by the locations of Syrian refugees to Electricité du Liban, under the threat of cutting off electricity to them.
Regarding the "Gas Oil" ship, it was decided to request Electricité du Liban to specify its stock quantity of "Gas Oil" and its financial capabilities to open the required credits from the Ministry of Energy and Water so that the issue could be discussed in the next committee meeting to make an appropriate decision, according to the mechanism set in the previous committee meeting on April 12, 2023.
The committee confirmed that the aforementioned does not, in any way, constitute approval by them to open the requested credits for the specified purpose, especially in light of the ministry's non-compliance with the committee's decision regarding obtaining a prior and clear decision in this context. The minister retains, in all circumstances, and to avert any damage for which the state is not liable, the freedom to act with the ship as he sees fit.
Participants in the meeting included: Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayad, Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil, Minister of Industry George Bouchikian, Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh, Minister of Justice Henry Khoury, Minister of Telecommunications Johnny Karam, Minister of Culture Mohammed Wissam Mortada, General Director of the Presidency of the Republic Antoine Shekher, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers Mahmoud Makiyeh, and Chairman of the Board and General Director of Electricité du Liban Kamal Hayek with a delegation from the Board.
