Lead:
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government endorsed a comprehensive energy strategy on Friday aimed at reducing production costs through natural gas imports, expanding transmission networks, and bringing private operators into distribution and billing operations. Simultaneously, the cabinet moved to inject 8.95 billion Lebanese pounds into the budget to pay accumulated debts owed by Electricité du Liban to public administrations. The twin actions signal accelerated movement on infrastructure despite internal coalition friction over unrelated security matters.
Details:
According to Al-Akhbar, the Council of Ministers approved Energy Minister Joe Al-Sadi's plan, which addresses the current energy crisis characterized by expensive power generation, widespread reliance on private generators, and technical losses on the grid. The strategy targets natural gas sourcing to lower generation costs, network modernization, and private sector engagement in the distribution chain—a structural shift requiring legislative backing.
Al-Akhbar reported separately that Opposition parties, specifically the Lebanese Forces bloc, boycotted Friday's cabinet session aside from Al-Sadi's attendance, signaling tension over two distinct dossiers: the electricity file itself and a separate government move to refer weapons-seizure cases to the Higher Judicial Council. This absence underscores lingering disagreements within the ruling coalition despite the electricity plan's passage.
Annahar confirmed that President Joseph Aoun signed Law 72, dated 13 November 2026, which the National Assembly had already passed, enabling the budget reserve to be deployed. Information Minister Paul Marques announced the cabinet's formal approval following the session. The law's publication in the Official Gazette on Friday formalized the transfer mechanism for settling Electricité du Liban's debts, a precondition for sector viability.
Al-Akhbar noted that PM Salam has begun scheduling consecutive government sessions on high-priority files, moving past a period of waiting for regional clarity. This signals intent to advance negotiations and domestic reforms without prolonged delay despite external constraints.
Watch For:
Implementation timeline for gas procurement agreements—negotiations with Qatar remain ongoing, with Al-Sadi tasked by cabinet to lead talks. Monitoring whether private sector clauses trigger further parliamentary or coalition resistance before enabling legislation passes.
Status of the security file referral by year-end; any breakthrough or compromise on the weapons cases may reduce Lebanese Forces objections to full cabinet participation, enabling consensus on electricity project execution.
Quarterly budget allocations from the 8.95 billion Lebanese pound reserve and whether additional tranches will be authorized if arrears continue accumulating.