The lights in Lebanon will begin to go out starting mid-May as money for electricity will run out this month.
“The darkness will gradually begin, starting on May 15th,” according to the Ministers of Energy and Finance and the Chairman of the Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water Committee, MP Nazih Najem.
This is due to the indefinite suspension of a law that would grant a $200 million advance payment to Lebanon‘s state electricity provider, Electricité Du Liban (EDL), to purchase fuel.
The payment was rejected by the MPs of the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Progressive Socialist Party who argued that the Lebanese Central Bank would have to use depositor’s funds because of the U.S. dollar shortage.
Now, EDL will have to ration its electricity supply across the country that’s already experiencing power shortages. The Zouk Mosbeh power plant will be the first to shut down on May 18th, according to Najem.
Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar already warned of darkness in Lebanon back in February and again in March.
Now, the time of darkness is drawing near, just ahead of the humid summer during which people rely on electricity for air conditioning among countless other things.
