Lebanon Hit by New Crisis: Severe Electricity Cuts and Red Diesel Shortage
Energy Minister Jebran Bassil has warned that severe power cuts would become much worse in the future after hundreds of angry citizens protested in Jiyyeh and cut the Beirut airport’s main road.
While refusing to comment on severe electricity cuts, Bassil only told Hizbullah’s al-Manar TV on Saturday that things would become much worse in the future.
“We had previously warned that an electricity explosion would hit Lebanon,” he said.
Bassil had blamed several parties in the government of obstructing his plans to fix the country’s severe electricity problem.
Protesters on Saturday chanted anti-Bassil slogans in Jiyyeh, south of Beirut. Gathering outside the power plant, they carried signs telling the minister that "the days of war are better than your days."
Angry protestors also blocked the road of Rafik Hariri International Airport.
A protest was also held on Friday in Aley, in the Shouf, where residents demanded Bassil’s resignation.
Another energy-linked crisis has erupted over accusations that Bassil had deliberately sought to give additional revenues to companies that “have certain political allegiances in the north.”
March 14 opposition lawmakers told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday that the authority tasked with distributing red diesel, allocated at midnight Wednesday 8 million liters at the price of LL26,300 hours before the end of the government deadline of a LL3,000 subsidy.
But the lawmakers told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat the 8 million liters were sold the next day at the cost of LL29,300.
By such a move, Bassil sought to give benefits of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the companies in the north, they said.
The latest protests and blocking of roads in several areas came not only because of power cuts but also because red diesel, which is used for household heating, disappeared from the market when the subsidies were lifted on Wednesday.
But the energy ministry has claimed that a thunderstorm on Wednesday diverted diesel fuel bound for the Zahrani refinery in the South to the facility in the northern port city of Tripoli, which led to a shortage.
12 years
stop your whinings please! always to blame the others of this problem.. don t you see that lebanon has the worse political class in the world? no politicians be it M8 or M14 ever wanted to tackle this issue, they have too much interests at stake! they ll lose money if electricity is brought as in any normal country! even SRI LANKA has electricity 24/24!!!
don t tell me that such a smallllll country as lebanon can t give electricity to its citizens!
only one reason: lebanese politicians are all irresponsible people thinking about their interests and businesses first and lebanese never!
so stop being childish and grow up a little... politicians are lucky to have people like you: they have no fear of losing their seats with such ardent supporters!
12 years
why whining and blaming???/stop paying electricity bills like most of the people, and buy electrical motors and candles, just be happy and smile , u are in lebanon
12 years
why we are still paying taxes?????????
12 years
Cookie_Monster my fellow Shiite brother in Resistance , we missed you today at the Resistance sanctioned demonstration that blocked Hadi Nasrallah highway with burning tires in protest over the incompetent idiocy of the magnificent energy minster Gebran Bassil . But then again I understand why our superb energy minster Gebran Bassil has fumbled the electricity file so badly , he is been too busy appearing in more important photo ops all over the country to come over to the ministry and do the job we are paying him to do .
GGB master of the photogenic Kermit the frog lookalike and unqualified to change a light bulb sons in law .
12 years
Cookie_Monster my fellow Shiite brother in Resistance , we missed you today at the Resistance sanctioned demonstration that blocked Hadi Nasrallah highway with burning tires in protest over the incompetent idiocy of the magnificent energy minster Gebran Bassil . But then again I understand why our superb energy minster Gebran Bassil has fumbled the electricity file so badly , he is been too busy appearing in more important photo ops all over the country to come over to the ministry and do the job we are paying him to do .
GGB master of the photogenic Kermit the frog lookalike and unqualified to change a light bulb sons in law .
12 years
Somehow this boy criminal had enough money to buy a private plane. No doubt the money was stolen from the people and could have purchased diesel for everyone. The main problem is that the Shia do not pay. The Shia have caused this problem led by Nasrallah. They are killing the country.
12 years
Cookie_Monster my fellow Shiite brother in Resistance , we missed you today at the Resistance sanctioned demonstration that blocked Hadi Nasrallah highway with burning tires in protest over the incompetent idiocy of the magnificent energy minster Gebran Bassil . But then again I understand why our superb energy minster Gebran Bassil has fumbled the electricity file so badly , he is been too busy appearing in more important photo ops all over the country to come over to the ministry and do the job we are paying him to do .
GGB master of the photogenic Kermit the frog lookalike and unqualified to change a light bulb sons in law .
12 years
Cookie_Monster my fellow Shiite brother in Resistance , we missed you today at the Resistance sanctioned demonstration that blocked Hadi Nasrallah highway with burning tires in protest over the incompetent idiocy of the magnificent energy minster Gebran Bassil . But then again I understand why our superb energy minster Gebran Bassil has fumbled the electricity file so badly , he is been too busy appearing in more important photo ops all over the country to come over to the ministry and do the job we are paying him to do .
GGB master of the photogenic Kermit the frog lookalike and unqualified to change a light bulb sons in law .
12 years
@ Everyone commenting: First of all, most of you guys are ready to blame someone because of your political stance. but when you were (most of you) without electricity since the beginning of the 90s, why no one was no moving his ass and going to the streets and asking for electricity? almost 20 years you were happy paying for private electricity ,but now just because the minister is from one side, you blame him ??? you are really ignorant ppl. it's not ON and OFF to turn Lebanon into paradise, it takes years to build 1 plant to generate electricity. Now you blame the minister? really go put ur heads somewhere ,3eb 3aleykon.
12 years
@ Slash , I gotta say that you show people that you aren't that educated. you gotta always put this m8 or m14, somewhere, but the big question is; were u enjoying 24 hours electricity since 1992? did u have nuclear power plants, and Bassil too them off, to blame the current government? 3anjad, bala sakheftak, because all lebanese electricity infrastructure wasn't properly maintained since 30 years , so what do you want? in 1 year to have a paradise? 3anjad sakhif inta, badel ma tshoufo the real problem, inno kil lebnen byeser2o kahraba, u go back and blaim 1 person because this person 2ahrak. i'm sure ur not more than 15, or else u would have seen that the problem isn't from 1 person but, it's a complex project that takes years to develop it !
12 years
Master of thieves. Hey Ali Baba why are you stealing everything?
12 years
@slash, EDL was and will remain the biggest corrupted sector in Lebanon. so how do you want that 1 minister moves freely along reforms, and new projects? again, when u are not objective, u just accuse one region of not paying bills, but what about hotels? palestinian camps? resorts? people li m3al2in 3ala khtout el dawle bi gher manati2? Controllers getting bribes from big companies to jeopardize counters! it's not only you who has someone there, we all know how it works. it's the same as telling me why the transport minister isn't imposing reforms at the port of beirut: u think customs there will be happy to get only salaries at the end of the month? it's a 1 vs 1000 game. 1 minister against 1000 mafias. Let's cut the crap here, and stop accussing only 1 side. Just when u visit beirut, and u see cars, u ask urself wow , i bust my ass and pay taxes in Lebanon, while 1 little uneducated custom officer is driving a porsche :). just do some math
12 years
@and for me if to have electricity for 1 hour per day or 6 hours is the same, it's a lame situation, i dont see anywhere else on this earth, people not enjoying 24 hours electricity. Whether it's Bassil ,or someone else ,regardless of its political stance, I'm sure the situation will be the same today or in 20 years, do not blame 1 person, but the real situation is to stop corruption in these sectors (which is impossible to achieve). Many EDL workers are very rich, why they don't ask them from where u have all this money? that's the real problem, u think it's only to steal electricity? u think Dahieh alone consumes 2billion $ ? 75% of this money goes into private bank accounts!
12 years
@slash
You seem to know the electrical sector maybe you should replace Bassil. Don't worry once Assad is gone we can import 50% from Syria and we won't have to pay anything for it. Once Iran gets there head kicked in you won't see any EDL employees suffer because hezbollahs balls will drop
12 years
i do understand very well cookie monster/ sweaty boy/ . talking or arguing with you is useless. you are nothing but a low life Metwali who just like your master think because you have the weapons you got it all, guess what buddy your master is going down sooner or later. As far as me & my friends as you say calling hate trips I only see you provoking everyone. shut your mouth a little & go get a life outside dahiye. I don't hate any sect or any people as long as they don't endanger my life or the life of my family. But bunfortunately you guys (hezziz)are endangering our life & putting our future in misery. Have a great day
12 years
@ Slash you are right with what you are saying, about fixing the already present problems in the electricty sector. And lebcanada, i dont know if you are an FPM follower or not, but look im going to tell you something crystal clear. I agree the electricity sector is full of corruption and all. But tell me something, i thought the FPM was about Teghyir wa esla7? wou they wanted to crush the mafias and crush the violators etc.. and whats happening now? Lacking balls to do so? and blaming again others ? another thing.
12 years
You've got Hezbollah on the side of the FPM supposedly to work on a state and for all citizens. Is there a military force greater than the Hezb? No. If they were really Bassil's allies and approving on the " reforms " he is doing , they would help him and send security apparatus to make ALL people pay electricity. And i would be ok with that because they would have proven that they care. But they didnt and we know why, and Bassil knows why and he is 80% guilty he and his allies. So Stop the bullshit they are capable of doing a lot of things with all the power they have but it isnt their primary objective !
12 years
@ Leb canada, If Bassil says today that he is willing him and his allies, to send lebanese Army to all regions and make ALL people pay, and that his allies in hezbollah will take care of that in the south, whether its by paying themselves for their people the electricity ( since they have hundred of millions each year from Iran ). That would be a great minister. But crying around and saying mafias here, mafias there. Come on... We all agree you are in power right now , thus you have the " LEGAL " right to act against everybody that doesnt pay their bills. But I mean EVERYBODY... So move your but or show us more and more that you are an incompetent thief like the others
12 years
ان التقنين القاسي سببه هو الاهمال الكبير في المؤسسة التي يوجد لديها حوالي 2000عامل في المؤسسة لاتعرف اهميتهم ودورهم الفعال والاساسي في المؤسسة هم عمال غب الطلب اي عمال المتعهد هي البدعة التي خلقتها مؤسسة كهرباء لبنان لكي تهرب من دفع المستحقات التي تتوجب عليها من الضمان وبدل النقل وكافة حقوقهم كموظفين واجراء دائمين في مؤسسة كهرباء لبنان
12 years
@Skyfall oh my God, how close minded you are ... why u weren't saying the same for the last 20 years or so? where were u before? they f**ked the EDL for years, and made billions of $ from oil imports, gasoline,gas, and mazout...why u weren't complaining before? Bassil is in charge since a while now, and u think Dahieh isn't a barrier too? why u don't look further than ur nose and see other regions not paying too since years now.. Palestinians? in the north,in bekaa, in jounieh...? Whether It is Bassil or no, this mafia exist since long time ago, u think if ur a minister u have the freedom to do whatever u want? lah ya habibe, mafia controls everything...not only political parties, but u don't even imagine, that billions of $ of profit because of not having elec ,think!!!
12 years
@ Skyfall, well, don't be unfaithful to someone like Bassil, when he was a telecom minister, he did a very good job. It's not nice to be like this. i'm not defending him, since i'm way too far from Lebanon, but the guy worked well in the telecom industry. Now the new minister is doing good too, you are paying much less for mobile subscriptions with much more options. Electricity problem is so complicated since, all infrastructure needs to be changed and replaced. Mafiyet el moteurs+ many municipality members have big commissions, so what do u expect from 1 person to do in less than a year? Don't be unfaithful to somebody's previous achievements, and don't judge somebody just because he is from one side or another. that's why u keep nagging, but in the same time you are happy with Lebanon like that (easy money,no taxes, no laws, cars, clubs etc..) anyways, Just ask urself a question why people are leaving Lebanon and why they left before? half of them are ashamed to be Lebanon anymore.
12 years
Cookie Monster. You are absolutely right about the mafia. My cousin work with the electric company, and he was involved with the mafia. He shuts down grids when they tell him. All these people commenting here, know nothing about nothing. Lebanon has enough private generators to supply whole Lebanon, so no need for the government run electric. The reason it exist, so the generator owners don't go for the kill and charge you 500 dollars a month for 5 amps.
12 years
je trouve qu'il en parle d'une façon très lègère comme s'il se moquait de tout le monde et ne se rend pas compte de ce que les gens ressentent.Tout n'est pas politique, ça fait un peu infantile de dire (Je vous l'avait dit) après trois ans au Ministère. Et puis, pourquoi il ne repond pas aux accusations concernant la livraison de grande quantité de Mazout le dernier jour.
Lol@ shlash...the filthy Zionist thinks that the electricity problem can be fixed in a few months. Go educate yourself, fool.