Widespread blackout hits Lebanon: Political disputes overshadow electricity crisis

Report by Yara Dargham, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

On the night between Saturday and Sunday, most areas across Lebanon were plunged into a complete blackout, a scenario that has become all too familiar in the country.

This recurring power failure echoes similar blackouts from last year during the tenure of former Minister Walid Fayyad, which sparked a political campaign against him and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). 

Now, with Fayyad aligned with the Lebanese Forces, the FPM has launched a similar campaign targeting him amid the recent power outages. The electricity crisis has effectively become a battleground for political rivalries, overshadowing the real reasons behind the sector's ongoing deterioration.

Experts explain that in other countries facing even higher temperatures, such as the UAE, power plants rarely fail because they are designed to withstand extreme heat above 50 degrees Celsius. These countries invest in advanced cooling systems, conduct proactive maintenance before peak seasons, and maintain substantial reserve capacity to compensate for sudden faults.

In contrast, Lebanon's power plants are outdated, cooling systems are limited, maintenance depends heavily on available funding, and overall electricity production is low. These factors undermine the stability of the national grid, leaving it vulnerable to any significant disruption.
 
The Director-General of the Electricité du Liban (EDL)told LBCI that the recent total blackout is not unprecedented and mainly stems from weak production capacity. 

This latest blackout serves as a stark reminder that Lebanon's energy crisis requires focused, technical solutions rather than becoming a tool for political point-scoring.