Ensuring 24-hour electricity will take 6 years: Public works contractors' union

The president of the public works contractors union, Maroun Helou, stated on Sunday that at least six years will be needed to ensure 24-hour electricity per day in Lebanon, due to the "dilapidated" state of the electrical networks managed by Électricité du Liban (EDL).

While the electricity sector suffers from structural deficiencies and insufficient capacity to meet the country's needs, which largely depends on private generators to supplement its supply, Helou indicated that the previously submitted offers for this sector "are no longer relevant." He also proposed that the state launch public-private partnerships under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model to strengthen the capacities of the public supplier.

Helou also estimated that "cooperation with the World Bank and donors is the only option available to Lebanon today," as Beirut lacks the means and capacities to launch a reconstruction project, a consequence of the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, from Oct. 8, 2023, to the truce on Nov. 27, 2024.

On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that the government needed "seven billion dollars" for reconstruction, while World Bank estimates are nearly 11 billion dollars.

The head of government also announced obtaining a loan of 250 million dollars from the World Bank and launching projects with U.N. agencies, worth more than 350 million dollars, for the South.

To Helou, borrowing is a necessity, "because all sectors need the wheel of work to start turning again." Any financing received will be allocated to specific projects, subject to the monitoring of donors, from the study to execution, to ensure transparency in the use of funds.

The president of the contractors' union finally identified two essential steps to initiate recovery: "a serious reorganization of the administration and its digitization, as well as meeting the basic needs of citizens, such as electricity and water, issues currently under discussion between the concerned ministers and the International Monetary Fund."