Private generator electricity sees marginal price drop in September

BEIRUT — Lebanese households relying on private or neighborhood electricity generators will see slight relief in September bills, as the price of a kilowatt-hour (kWh) falls by just a fraction.

According to the latest rate table released Friday by the Ministry of Energy and Water, the price drops from 30,309 Lebanese Lira (LL) to LL30,267 — a decline of just LL42, or 0.14 cents.

For most households, the change will likely go unnoticed, especially amid soaring electricity use as air conditioners combat lingering summer heat.

Converted at the ministry’s official exchange rate of LL89,700 to the dollar, the kWh remains slightly below $0.34. The diesel price used to calculate the tariff fell 0.17 percent from August to LL1,402,624 per 20 liters.

In mountainous or rural areas above 700 meters, the ministry allows generator owners to apply a 10 PERCENT markup, bringing the maximum price to 33,294 LL per kWh, roughly $0.37.

Subscribers calculate their bills by multiplying the fixed kWh rate by the amount of electricity recorded on their individual meter.

Fixed monthly fees remain unchanged: LL385,000 ($4.29) for 5-ampere (A) service, LL685,000 ($7.64) for 10 A, and an additional LL300,000 ($3.34) for every extra 5 A beyond 10 A.

For three-phase meters, such as those used for elevators, the flat fee is based on reference capacity. An elevator with three 15 A phases, for example, should be charged LL 985,000 ($10.98), not LL2,785,000 ($31.05).

Private generators have long filled gaps in Lebanon’s struggling national grid, operated by Electricité du Liban. On Aug. 13, the government ordered generator owners to “regularize their situation” within 45 days or face legal action.

The regularization requires installing individual meters and filters and adhering to the ministry’s published tariffs. According to the Economy Ministry, about one-third of Lebanon’s nearly 7,000 private generators fail to comply with at least one of these measures.

In September, Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bsat reiterated the compliance requirements to operators.