A private generator in Lebanon. (Credit: M.A.)
BEIRUT — Economy Minister Amin Salam issued a circular on Thursday giving generator owners a deadline of Nov. 11 by which to install, at their own expense, meters to measure their customers' energy consumption, the NNA reports.
Here's what we know:
• The minister's decision is aimed at ensuring generator subscribers are not paying more than they should, the circular says.
• The circular also stipulates that in the event a generator subscriber buys their own meter, the generator owner must deduct the meter's price from the subscriber's monthly consumption bill.
• When contacted by L'Orient Today after the circular's release, Abdo Saade, head of the generator owners' syndicate described its timing as "ironic," saying "we don't even have enough [diesel] to run our generators till the end of the month, and the minister is now giving us this additional concern ... we don't even know if we will have active generators by the time of the deadline."
• Saade said that the syndicate will meet later today and will then issue its response to the circular and outline what measures will be taken from its side.
• In September, former Economy Minister Raoul Nehme directed generators owners to install meters, but he set the much longer deadline of six months for their installation.