Cabinet Overcame Electricity Test after Miqati Banged his Hand on the Table

Premier Najib Miqati’s cabinet overcame on Wednesday the most difficult test that it confronted two months after receiving parliament’s vote of confidence as it approved an electricity project to generate 700 Megawatts of electricity.

However, the cabinet session held at the Baabda palace wasn’t free of wrangling mainly between Miqati and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil who had proposed the plan.

“You have taught us that you sit at the table and tell us ‘give us what we want or else we walk away’,” Miqati told Bassil during the session as he banged his hand on the table in frustration. “But I’ll tell you Jebran that you either accept the proposal or I walk away.”

The prime minister was referring to a proposal that he made to resolve the standoff on the funding of the electricity project. Following two long days of consultations with several officials, Miqati proposed the allocation of the $1.2 billion funds in four installments, rather than in one payment.

Ministerial sources told Beirut newspapers on Thursday that the confrontation between the two men ended after the government approved the project, including Bassil’s proposal, by consensus.

According to the plan, the government will pay the first installment of LL414 billion for 2011 as had been agreed previously, but would reduce the second payment to LL461 billion in 2012, LL418 billion in 2013 and LL380 billion in 2014.

The cabinet also decided to form an eight-member ministerial committee headed by Miqati to study the introduction of amendments to law 462, which regulates the administration and management of the electricity sector.

Based upon the project, the electricity regulatory authority would be formed within two months and Bassil would inform the cabinet about the different stages of the implementation of the law.

The cabinet also tasked Miqati with contacting Arab, regional and international funds to secure funding for the project.

The plan will now be referred to parliament for endorsement. A ministerial source expected the legislature to approve it within two or three weeks.