The entrance of the Ministry of Energy in Beirut, on Oct. 8, 2025. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros / L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Private generator rates set by the Ministry of Energy for July bills have fallen for the third consecutive month, though they remain significantly higher than before the regional war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran and its allies, which contributed to a sharp rise in oil prices.
Some generator operators have opposed the latest pricing scale and protested outside the Ministry of Energy on Tuesday morning. Speaking to local media from the scene, Abdo Saadeh, president of the Association of Private Generator Operators, said the rates set by the ministry failed to reflect actual diesel prices and their volatility amid a conflict that, despite a recent lull, remains unresolved. He reiterated these comments to L’Orient-Le Jour.
Saadeh also accused Energy Minister Joe Saddi of refusing to meet with the Association to discuss the pricing scale.
A ministry source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the minister had not rejected dialogue but had asked association members — who arrived without an appointment — to schedule a meeting to discuss the matter. The Association represents only a portion of Lebanon’s neighborhood generator operators, whose total number is estimated at 7,500, according to a recent figure from the Energy Regulatory Authority.
Under the new rates set by the Ministry of Energy and Water, generator operators must charge LL40,746 per kilowatt-hour of consumption in July, equivalent to $0.45, down from nearly $0.47 in June. Consumption is calculated through individual meters, which operators are required to install unless subscribers have opted out.
Despite the monthly decrease, the rate remains 341% higher than the LL30,244 per kilowatt-hour charged on February bills.
Other elements of the pricing structure remain unchanged. The per-kilowatt-hour rate can still be increased by 10% in remote or sparsely populated areas. Fixed monthly fees remain at LL 385,000 ($4.29) for a 5-amp subscription and LL 685,000 ($7.64) for a 10-amp subscription, with an additional LL 300,000 ($3.34) charged for each additional 5-amp increment. The ministry also reiterated that subscriptions connected to three-phase meters must not be charged three times the standard rate.
The ministry maintained the exchange rate used for calculations at LL 89,700 per dollar and set the average price of a diesel canister at LL 1,992,150, or $22, down from LL 2,061,450 the previous month.
