by Dana Halawi
FILE PHOTO: Electricity cables are seen in Tyre, Lebanon July 18, 2020. Picture taken July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo
BEIRUT – Lebanese experts and officials urge for immediate reform of the country’s electricity sector which costs the state’s treasury around 1.5 – 2 billion U.S. dollars annually while failing to secure sufficient power generation.
“The energy ministry must work immediately to reduce its expenses, increase revenues, and explore other methods for power generation including solar energy, so as to solve the chronic crisis of electricity in Lebanon,” Patrick Mardini, president of Lebanese Institute for Market Studies, told Xinhua.
Mardini’s remarks came days after Lebanese Caretaker Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar warned the country would plunge into total darkness at the end of the month if no money was secured to buy fuel for power stations.