Saddi says 30% of electricity is stolen at a cost of $200 million

BEIRUT — Energy Minister Joe Saddi stressed in a press conference on Tuesday that his ministry is identifying violations and prosecuting offenders, noting that "30 percent of electricity is stolen at a cost of $200 million", the state-run National News Agency reported.

The minister confirmed coordination with the judiciary and said that major violators are now being pursued, adding that 80 percent of state institutions’ electricity bills will be paid to Électricité du Liban (EDL).

Regarding EDL, he also said that the process of appointing a board of directors for the establishment has begun.

Saddi also announced in the press conference the need to build two power plants in Zahrani and Deir Ammar, at a cost of $2 billion, noting that work is ongoing on cooperating with foreign countries and with the World Bank.

"Efforts are underway to restore the electricity sector based on a clear roadmap", he said, describing this as an essential task that cannot be avoided no matter how long it takes, and stressing the importance of reassuring investors that the sector is viable.

He also encouraged investment in renewable energy and work on rehabilitating the Nahr al-Bared power station and three hydroelectric plants on the Litani River, as well as transitioning the sector to natural gas use while diversifying supply sources.

Moreover, Saddi confirmed efforts to establish an electricity interconnection with Cyprus, explaining that the World Bank will fund an economic feasibility study for linking Lebanon to Cyprus.

The minister also said that regulatory authorities play a crucial role and that, despite not being allocated salaries or offices, they are doing a very good job.

Finally, he said that the "track record of those launching campaigns against the ministry is well known, adding that those who burdened the state with debt should be ashamed, as should those who spent $26 million to purchase fuel without allocating any funds to rehabilitate the EDL headquarters in Beirut, and those who turned a blind eye to subsidized fuel being smuggled into Syria", referring to those who were responsible for the Energy Ministry in previous years.

Since he assumed office, there have been tensions in Cabinet between Saddi, who is part of the Lebanese Forces' (LF) and the Free Patriotic Movement which had been in control of the ministry for decades before Saddi's appointment.

The electricity sector in Lebanon is in a particularly advanced state of disrepair due to insufficient investment in infrastructure, limited production capacity, a network damaged by war and plagued by illegal connections.