Economy Minister Amir al-Bssat announced a coordinated enforcement system to combat illegal tariffs and overcharges by private electricity generators across Lebanon.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam convened an exceptional meeting at the Grand Serail to address complaints over surging generator bills. The gathering included Economy Minister Amir al-Bssat, Energy Minister Joe al-Saydi, the Deputy Attorney General, and senior security officials.
Al-Bssat acknowledged that global diesel prices have risen sharply since the start of the war, driving up production costs for generator operators. He stated that while this increase in costs is justified, it does not permit operators to exploit citizens' need for electricity or impose charges beyond the official tariff set monthly by the Energy Ministry.
The official tariff already factors in diesel costs, operation and maintenance expenses, and profit margins. Al-Bssat said operators cannot use fuel price rises as grounds to levy additional fees outside the regulated rate.
The Economy Ministry has already applied an enforcement model in Tripoli and the port area, working with security forces, local authorities and courts. In roughly 24 cases, generators were seized and handed to local authorities to ensure continued service.
Al-Bssat announced that this enforcement mechanism would now be applied across all Lebanese territory. The Consumer Protection Directorate will intensify inspections and issue violation reports against non-compliant operators.
A direct operating procedure has been agreed between the Economy Ministry, local authorities, public prosecutors and security agencies. This provides for swift progression from detecting a violation to referral to court, obtaining judicial orders, and execution, including seizure and confiscation of generators where legally warranted.
Where a confiscated generator supplies a specific area, coordination with the competent local authority will ensure the generator is handed over and service continues uninterrupted, so the citizen does not bear the cost of the operator's violation.
Al-Bssat stressed that the official tariff is not a suggestion and use of meters is not optional. He said no one may add unauthorised charges to citizen bills. The government will not settle for warnings or unenforced violation reports, he added, but will follow a clear and rapid path from inspection through court order to execution.
