Electricite du Liban monopoly: Progress made, but a long way to go

In recent weeks, efforts to break up the monopoly of state electricity provider Electricité du Liban (EDL) and open the sector to private companies have gained new momentum. The process is based on a new policy for the sector drawn up by the Electricity Regulatory Authority and approved in July by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government, in line with Law No. 462 of 2002, which had long gone unimplemented. The goal is to improve the management of a sector that has cost the state tens of billions of dollars while providing only a few hours of electricity a day and leaving consumers increasingly reliant on private generators.The process is backed by Lebanon’s international partners and donors. A source at the Energy Ministry confirmed that the issue was discussed at length in Washington this week by government officials accompanying Salam,...