A man fills the gas tank of a car at a station in Lebanon. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — The syndicates for gas station owners and fuel distributors sent an official request on Thursday to caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad to demand fuel pricing in dollars.
In a statement, the syndicates said it sent the request to Fayad on Monday demanding "pricing of fuel in cash dollars to avoid losses ... due to the instability of the exchange rate in the black market."
"We hope that the minister responds to our request as soon as possible," the statement added.
Fuel prices are constantly changing due to the fluctuation of the lira against the dollar on the market.
The Energy Ministry began issuing new fuel prices twice daily as a result. Gas stations often close when the market exchange rate changes before new prices are officially released in an attempt to avoid lost revenue.
The lira had reached more LL64,000 to the dollar Thursday morning, a day after Banque du Liban implemented a new official exchange rate of LL15,000, to replace the longstanding LL1,500 rate.