BEIRUT - Energy Minister Joe Saddi visited the premises of Électricité du Liban (EDL) Mar Mikhael on Friday, the building was heavily damaged during the August 4, 2020, explosion at the port.

During his tour, Saddi met with employees working under extremely difficult conditions to ensure continuity of operations. The general director, Kamal Hayek, informed him that a date has been set to launch a call for bids to restore the building next May.

While awaiting restoration work, employees who have not been relocated to other EDL branches in Lebanon have been distributed for years between the central building's basements and prefabricated units placed in the inner courtyard. In November 2021, the previous Minister of Energy, Walid Fayad, had promised the launch of restoration work on EDL's headquarters “in the coming days,” but no procedures were launched, angering officials.

Already unable to supply electricity 24/7 to all its subscribers before the crisis, EDL can only provide a few hours of power, lacking funds to finance fuel for the power plants.