Energy Minister Joe Saddi Suspends Cabinet Role Over Lebanon Electricity Crisis
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The Arab Post
- . October 7, 2026
- . Update: October 7, 2026 1:08 pm
Lebanon electricity crisis, Lebanon’s Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi, on Tuesday, called off his Cabinet meetings due to the government’s “severe mismanagement” of the ongoing crisis in the country’s electricity supplies. Saddi, who was affiliated to the Lebanese Forces, called for the boycott in order to provoke urgent measures from the state on the unpaid government debts and the major reforms in utility services.
Protesting State Debts and EDL Arrears
At a press conference in Beirut, Saddi said he would be boycotting until the government meets some of its financial commitments to state utility firm Electricité du Liban (EDL). He called for the immediate payment of the outstanding bills of some 300 million dollars for electricity paid by public sector, L’Orient Today reported.
Also, Saddi demanded that the central state (not EDL) take responsibility for the fees exemptions for war-affected citizens in the Southern part of Lebanon and for the repair of the war-affected infrastructure. He also strongly opposed a new fuel tax that had been put forward of 300,000 pounds.
Highlighting Generation Deficits and “Theft”
The power grid in the region, as reported by LBC Group, currently supplies one-third of the country’s power needs, and people have to use expensive private power generators to meet the rest of the demand. Saddi pointed out that recently EDL’s purchasing power for fuel has dropped by 50 percent because of the high prices of fuel around the world.
Also, the uncorrected non-technical grid losses was termed “theft” by the minister in particular, as the minister stated that the losses amounted to 30% which was unacceptable. The strong private sector reluctance to invest in the Lebanon energy sector is being cited by Business News Lebanon as being fueled by these dire economic and security shortfalls.
Forcing Institutional Accountability – Lebanon electricity crisis
Joe Saddi’s primary concern for not involving cabinet in the bank is that the state might be able to use the funds to pay its bills for utilities. Saddi is adding extra strain to the Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government to put in place a dynamic electricity tariff and to generate sustainable funding.
Keep yourself updated on the political stand-off by reading the latest information from government through Naharnet and MTV Lebanon.
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