Since the end of the civil war, Lebanon's electricity production capacity has been severely limited due to financial troubles at the public provider, which worsened with the onset of the crisis in 2019.

Caretaker Energy and Water Minister Walid Fayad has attributed the near-total blackout currently affecting Électricité du Liban (EDL) partly to the U.S. Cesar Act sanctions. He also pointed to political disputes as a second significant contributing factor.

“The electricity crisis in Lebanon stems from two main issues: the first is external and involves the blockade and U.S. sanctions imposed by the Cesar Act, which have restricted Lebanon's options for diversifying fuel sources. The second is internal, relating to political disputes among various parties,” Fayad told Russian radio station Sputnik.

Fayad explained that the threat of sanctions targeting anyone engaging with Bashar al-Assad's government since 2020 has led to the indefinite suspension of a 2022 project to import Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity via Syria to bolster EDL’s capacity.

He added that U.S. promises to lift or modify the Cesar Act sanctions “have not yet materialized,” and the situation has become more complex following the deterioration of security in the region due to the Gaza conflict that began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has since affected southern Lebanon.

Despite agreements with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, the American project to supply Lebanon with electricity from Jordan and gas from Egypt has not yet been realized. EDL, which has seen financial improvements since increasing its rates at the end of 2022, currently depends solely on Iraqi fuel imports under a 2021 swap agreement.

A delay in the delivery of a shipment under this agreement has contributed to the current near-total blackout. This is not the first blackout affecting Lebanese citizens in recent years.

During his interview with Sputnik, Fayad noted that the Chem Helen, a tanker carrying 30,000 tons of Egyptian diesel bought on the spot market, is expected to arrive off the Lebanese coast on Aug. 24 (next Saturday) and unload its fuel within two days at the Deir Ammar (North Lebanon) and Zahrani (South Lebanon) power plants.