Electrical wires in Beirut. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today/File photo)
BEIRUT — Set at LL31,305 for June's invoices, the base price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity supplied by owners of private generators rose slightly in one month (+0.12 percent), mainly due to a drop in the Energy Ministry's average exchange rate from May.
Meanwhile, the dollar equivalent of this rate rose by two cents, to just over $0.34, marking a halt to the slight downward trend since the beginning of the year.
The June rate was calculated on the basis of the average price of fuel oil, valued at LL 1,453,208 per 20 liters. This represents a drop of 1.3 percent from the previous month (LL1,466,156 per 20 liters). The average exchange rate used for calculation has fallen down sharply to: LL91,350 to the dollar for June bills, compared with LL96,655 for May.
To calculate their bill, each subscriber must multiply the price per kWh supplied by the ministry by their consumption as recorded on an individual meter. The price of LL31,305 per kWh must be increased by 10 percent in mountainous (more than 700 meters above sea level) and rural areas, to LL34,436 per kWh.
In addition, there is a flat-rate charge that varies according to the maximum current delivered in amperes (A). For a maximum current of five A, the monthly charge is set at LL390,000 (up LL30,000 from the previous month); for a maximum current of 10 A, it is set at LL690,000 (up LL 80,000 from May). The Energy Ministry is also imposing a surcharge estimated this month at LL300,000 for each additional five amperes over 10 A.
The ministry has also maintained the specificities introduced for elevators and common parts of buildings connected in three-phase, indicating that their fixed tariffs will be calculated on the basis of a single-phase installation. For example, if the elevator and common areas have a 3 x 15 A three-phase circuit breaker, their fixed rates will be calculated on the basis of a 15 A capacity, not a 45 A capacity, i.e. LL1,080,000 in June, not LL2,790,000.
Generator owners — an illegal but tolerated sector due to the chronic shortcomings of public supplier Électricité du Liban (EDL) — must in principle comply with the Energy Ministry, which has since 2018 obliged them to install individual meters at their subscribers' homes. However, a large number of them have refused to comply and continue to charge flat rates, sometimes in dollars.
Meanwhile, the Energy Ministry specifies that generator owners are not allowed to display their prices in dollars, add extra charges to customers who have installed solar panels or add VAT to the bill if they are not registered in accordance with the law.
