Mashnouq Threatens to Seize Generators as Providers Demand 'Fair Tariff'
Caretaker Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Thursday warned that authorities would “confiscate any generator that stops supplying people with electricity,” as private generator providers insisted that they will not install meters unless the state allows them to charge a “fair and profitable tariff.”
“The LBP 410 per kilowatt tariff that has been set by the Energy Ministry is unfair and unprofitable and would lead to our bankruptcy,” a spokesman for the providers said at a press conference.
“You want the meters, we agree, but give us a fair and profitable tariff, seeing as the current one is unfair because it does not include maintenance and operation costs,” the spokesman added.
“The generators will not be turned on with a loss and we support the state if it wants to regulate the sector, but this requires extensive assessment and fairness among all citizens and Lebanese regions,” he went on to say.
The spokesman also announced that the providers intend to sue caretaker Economy Minister Raed Khoury for calling them “mafias.”
Speaking to reporters after meeting Khoury, Minister Mashnouq announced that the ministry's security forces “will enforce the law and will oversee the installation of the meters.”
“If there is a problem regarding the tariff, let them negotiate with the Energy Ministry, but installation has nothing to do with the tariff,” Mashnouq added.
“We will confiscate any generator that stops supplying people with electricity and we will shoulder the responsibility of providing electricity,” the minister warned.
Khoury for his part stressed that his ministry will not accept any violation of the decision to install meters, noting that “the tariff is negotiable on a case by case basis.”
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