Fayyad announces 'relative' power plan 'success'
Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayyad said Thursday that the electricity plan has relatively and slightly succeeded.
In a press conference, Fayyad said that power supply has reached four to five hours per day instead of 8 to 10 due to limited funding.
Since the collapse of Lebanon's state power grid, many middle and working class families have been forced to spend most of their monthly income to pay shady neighborhood businessmen running private generators.
Still, they go without electricity for nearly half the day, according to a report by Human Rights Watch released Thursday. The situation threatens to deepen the poverty of this tiny country embroiled in a devastating economic meltdown.
Pushed to the bring of bankruptcy, the state-run power company now provides the Lebanese with less than three hours of power a day. Most families told HRW they compromise on food, education, medications and other basic needs to pay for supplemental electricity.
Lebanon's blackouts increased substantially two years ago, when the cash-strapped government could no longer afford importing fuel for its power plants. And while much of the world has looked to renewable sources of energy to tackle climate change, Lebanon relies on noisy, polluting, and expensive private diesel generators to keep the lights on.
The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and experts have urged Lebanon for years to restructure its electricity sector but authorities have stalled on a host of reforms required for the IMF to approve a bailout program and for the World Bank to put through an electricity deal that would provide natural gas from Egypt through Syria to boost Lebanon's state-run power grid.
13 April 2023, 15:08
01
Fayyad lives on another planet! Whereas nations are pledging to become carbon neutral, FPM/Fayyad’s electricity plan is backward, full of corruption, depends on Assad grace & expensive imports, and will bankrupt & pollute Lebanon. No investment in renewable knowing well Lebanon is blessed with solar, wind, hydro, and wave power. Is Fayyad aware of UAE Masdar contracts to generate solar power for 2.4 cents/KW or Saudi contract for solar power at 2 cents/KW? Does he know solar is more efficient on mountains than desert as PV negatively affected by heat? Is he aware of WDRVM, a Syrian firm producing large wind turbines (WT)? Has he considered off-shore WT near Tripoli islands, today’s cheapest form of energy or on mountain top? Hydro & micro-hydro power? benefit of distributed power and net-metering? Is he aware 20% incentive means 80% from private funds quadrupling power output? Or 4 solar panels in parking lots provide 30 yrs of free 15,000 KM/year for every EV car?
13 April 2023, 16:56
04
FPM & cronies wasted/stole $50 billion on EDL while worshiping darkness & polluting our air. What $50 billion could be spent on? Lebanon energy can be 100% from renewable with $15 billion investment (see Masdar & WDRVM & Hydro). Two new modern airports for $4 billion. Upgrade Beirut & Tripoli ports for $3 billion. Monorail from Tripoli to Tyr for $3 billion (see 100 Km Bombardier Monorail in Eqypt for $3B). Two tunnels linking ports to Bekaa & Akar for $4 billion (purchase TBM for cheaper future tunnels). Major road network for $3 billion. A giga factory for EV/Industrial batteries to supply the whole Middle East for $2 billion, thousands of industrial robots for $2 billion, 100% fiber optic with new cables linking to Cyprus/Europe for $2 billion. World-class museum for $1Billion. Artificial island/port for cruise ship for $1 Billion. Upgrade trails, sky lifts, nature resorts for $1 billion, Modern fishery for $1 billion… all above for much less than EDL deficit!
