100 Public Buildings in Lebanon Lose Power as Minister Escalates Dispute

Residents of Lebanon are facing longer outages as the Ministry of Energy and Water began cutting power to roughly 100 public institutions on Monday. These agencies now face darkness because they have not paid their outstanding electricity bills. The action is the latest step in a growing conflict between Energy Minister Joe Saddi and the rest of the cabinet.

Saddi claims the government has failed to meet his demands to increase power supply, lower fuel costs, and settle debts owed to the state-owned electricity company. He started boycotting cabinet meetings to force the issue. On Thursday, three other ministers from his party, the right-wing Lebanese Forces, joined him in the boycott. Saddi told local media that he stopped applying as much pressure earlier this year when the war with Israel intensified in early March, but he resumed his efforts after the draft 2027 budget was released in October.

The budget did not give enough attention to the electricity sector, according to Saddi and his party. The move has heightened speculation about a cabinet reshuffle or Saddi’s resignation. Sami Zoughaib, a research manager at The Policy Initiative, described the boycott as a political move to prevent the party from losing popular support. He noted that if the party fails in the eyes of the public, it will be difficult for them to hold the ministry again in the future.

Lebanon’s power infrastructure has deteriorated since the 2019 economic crisis. In Beirut, state-provided electricity has fallen from 21 hours a day to just two or four hours. Some days have no power at all. Jessica Obeid, a Lebanese energy expert, said the sector suffers from corruption across the entire supply chain. She stated that the financial losses are in the billions of dollars and will not disappear overnight.

Qatar has stepped in to offer financial and technical help. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani visited Beirut last month to confirm an energy partnership. Reports indicate Doha has offered to build two power plants over the next three years and provide a 20-year liquefied natural gas supply. This deal would provide a lifeline, but analysts say structural reforms are still needed.

The state cannot reproduce the pre-2019 model of subsidized electricity, Zoughaib said. The country has been bankrupt for at least seven years, and no government has fixed the financial or banking sectors. Obeid said that political stability and a clear vision are missing. She added that Lebanon needs bold decisions rather than short-term fixes, as the current grid requires rehabilitation and the country faces repeated attacks that deter investors.