A rush to power

If the many announcements coming out of the energy ministry last month translate into reality then the country’s electricity sector is on the verge of major change. In a few short days the government announced the start date for the increasing of the country’s energy capacity, the winners of a number of crucial contracts and even plans to control the price of illegal generators. But if anybody has learned to be wary of the difference between presentations and performance it is the Lebanese. There are significant obstacles in the path of Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, among them political infighting, lawsuits and even allegations of corruption looming over the ministry’s head.  At present, Lebanon’s consumption of power far outstrips supply. Including generation and imports the country has around 1,500 megawatts (MW) of electricity available, but demand reaches as high as 2,500 MW at peak times, leading to blackouts of over 6