In a statement released Thursday, Electricité du Liban (EDL) said Lebanon’s electricity network continues to struggle after years of neglect and chronic underinvestment, with key infrastructure destroyed in the 2020 Beirut Port explosion still unreplaced.
EDL identified three main causes for the recurring power cuts: production capacity at least 1,000 megawatts below the minimum needed to stabilize the grid, the absence of a fully operational control center since the port blast, and a lack of reserve generation required to automatically regulate frequency, a standard practice in global power networks.
The utility stressed that, despite widespread nonpayment of bills, it has maintained electricity to critical facilities, including the airport, port, water pumping stations, sewage systems, and central prisons. EDL also noted that its maintenance and development efforts helped Lebanon secure a $250 million World Bank loan to strengthen the electricity system and expand renewable energy capacity.
EDL criticized misinformation circulating online and called for serious, coordinated action from all stakeholders to address the crisis and ensure minimum grid stability, warning that failure to act could trigger nationwide blackouts affecting essential services.
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