Lebanon's Energy Ministry responded to a newspaper article criticizing Minister Joe Sadi, saying comparison of his 18-month tenure during war and state bankruptcy with predecessors' 16-year terms in stable conditions is illogical.
The Energy Ministry issued a statement in response to a column published in Al-Madaen on August 24, 2026, by journalist Azza al-Hajj Hassan that criticized the performance of Energy Minister Joe Sadi.
The ministry said that comparing Sadi's performance over 18 months under conditions of open war, state insolvency, and banking sector collapse with that of ministers who held the post for around 16 years during periods of stability was unreasonable.
The ministry defended Sadi's approach, stating he operates according to a seven-point strategy for addressing the electricity crisis. This includes importing energy and gas, electrical interconnection with neighbouring countries, activating solar energy projects, criminal audits of past contracts, applying public procurement law, and avoiding new treasury advances.
The ministry said the policy of matching electricity supply to collection capacity aims to prevent wasteful spending of state funds and that the article wrongly attributed accumulated problems from earlier years to the current ministry, particularly regarding power barges and generation plants.
The statement noted that proposed solutions include liberalising electricity generation, attracting investment, and partnering with the private sector. It said investors require financial and security guarantees before entering the Lebanese market.
The ministry also stated that the cabinet approved an electricity sector policy document that addresses liberalizing production as a core element, and cited comments from the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank, indicating investors are conditioning their participation on such guarantees.
