Lebanon’s new electricity plan adopted in the dark

The Council of Ministers approved a new electricity policy paper on April 8. Although this was a long-awaited reform, the Lebanese were expecting better governance and more transparency, especially in view of the commitments made at CEDRE. However, the government already seems to be falling short on its promises of reform, with no development of regulatory or procurement frameworks for the electricity sector and contracts being granted without guarantees of transparency or due process. Efficient regulatory and procurement frameworks are essential for ensuring competitive offers—they incentivise the private sector, increase competition, and de-risk the electricity sector. Yet, to date Lebanon lacks a procurement framework that guarantees transparency and good governance in this sector, and the existing regulatory framework has been consistently breached. Parliament not only extended the mandate of Law 288 (2014) enabling the cabinet to issue licenses for power purchase agreements (PPAs), but also enabled the bypassing of any