Beirut, Lebanon – Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water has begun shutting down the supply of electricity to approximately 100 public institutions that have outstanding bill payments, according to local media. The decision, which began to take effect on Monday, marks a further escalation in Energy Minister Joe Saddi’s dispute with the government. Saddi recently began boycotting cabinet meetings over what he claims is the government’s failure to address his demands to increase power supply, reduce the burden of fuel costs and settle unpaid bills to the state-owned electricity company.
Lebanon has struggled with power cuts for years, but state-provided electricity dropped sharply following the 2019 economic and banking crisis. In Beirut, for example, electricity supplied by the state was once available for about 21 hours a day, but that has dropped in recent years to just two to four hours, with some days seeing no power at all. Analysts say that deep structural issues are behind the Lebanese state’s failure to provide electricity in recent years and without deep reform, little is likely to change.
When a government led by reformists took control in early 2025, there was hope that the situation would improve. But more than a year and a half later, state electricity supplies are still meagre, while energy costs and inflation have skyrocketed. The World Bank projects that year-on-year inflation in Lebanon will be 17.5 percent this year, while fuel costs connected to the United States-Israel war on Iran have meant electricity costs for fuel-guzzling private generators have increased exponentially for many in Lebanon.
All of that means that we cannot be looking for band-aid solutions,” Obeid said. For his part, Saddi told Lebanese media that he had been pushing the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to prioritise his ministry’s portfolio earlier this year, but had stopped applying as much pressure when Israel’s war on Lebanon intensified in early March. After the draft 2027 budget was announced in October, the LF and Saddi raised objections, claiming not enough attention was being given to the electricity sector.
And in recent weeks, Saddi has stepped up his efforts to draw attention to the needs of his ministry. In early October, he pledged to start boycotting cabinet meetings. Last Thursday, Saddi was joined in boycotting a cabinet meeting by three ministerial colleagues from his LF party.
Saddi said this is a way to pressure the government to give adequate attention and focus to the country’s ongoing electricity crisis. Sami Zoughaib, an economist and research manager at The Policy Initiative, a Lebanese think tank, told Al Jazeera that the boycott was a political move by Saddi and his party to try and avoid losing popular support. Under previous Lebanese governments, the Energy Ministry was at times managed by the LF’s main Christian rival, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
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