Full of gas

Lebanon will finally be rescued from the electricity cuts it has long suffered from, or so says the government as it trumpets its latest plan for the sector. Eight years ago, Electricité du Liban (EDL) supplied, on average, only 18 hours of electricity per day, and an ambitious plan from 2010 did not accomplish much in terms of reducing the country’s shortfall in generated electricity. It did employ short-term measures, like leasing electricity barges, refurbishing existing power plants, and constructing small-scale renewables, all of which slightly boosted the electricity supply. The latest proposal looks like it will, again, emphasize short-term measures, but the government has so far avoided detailing the plan to the public. At the end of March, Cabinet heard the electricity plan. According to minutes from a meeting that took place, Lebanon’s Minister of Energy and Water Cesar Abi Khalil presented the plan to the cabinet, which agreed