A generator installed on the side of a road at the entrance to a village in Keserwan. (Photo credit: Philippe Hage Boutros / L'Orient-Le Jour)
Economy Minister Amer Bisat reiterated Tuesday that private generator owners have a 45-day deadline — ending in late September — to comply with current regulations, stressing that strict sanctions will apply to violators once the deadline passes.
Nawaf Salam’s government had already given generator owners in Lebanon, as of August 13, a 45-day period to "regularize" or face legal action. This regularization involves installing individual meters and filters and adhering to the rates published monthly by the Ministry of Energy. According to the Ministry of Economy, one third of the nearly 7,000 neighborhood generators currently fail to meet at least one of these requirements.
Bisat emphasized that once the deadline expires, "strict measures and sanctions" would be imposed on holdouts, including writing up reports, seizing and confiscating generators, and referring their owners to the relevant judicial authorities.
In a circular addressed to private generator operators, the ministry reminded them of the obligation to install electronic meters for all subscribers. "Only meters must serve as the basis for calculating consumption," the statement said, which also requires operators to ensure uninterrupted electricity during public power outages.
The ministry also underscored compliance with environmental standards, particularly the installation of filters that meet Environment Ministry specifications, for the sake of public health and safety.
For decades, private generators, tolerated by authorities, have established themselves as a stopgap solution to Lebanon's chronic electricity production deficit.
