Human Rights Watch (HRW) pointed out on Thursday the ongoing electricity crisis in Lebanon, highlighting years of government mismanagement and failure to implement key reforms that have severely limited citizens' access to electricity.
In a statement, HRW stated that the Lebanese government's continued poor management of the electricity sector and failure to enact critical reforms have further weakened the population's already limited ability to access power.
On August 21, HRW sent a letter to the Energy and Water Minister, inquiring about the ongoing power outages, the status of promised reforms, and the government's steps to resolve the issue.
However, the organization has yet to receive any written responses.
HRW noted that for over 30 years, the Lebanese government has failed to adequately manage the state-run Electricité du Liban (EDL), leading to widespread power outages. The government, including the Energy and Water Ministry responsible for strategic planning and electricity policy development, has neglected to carry out essential reforms that would unlock donor funds and enable greater access to continuous, available, and clean electricity from renewable sources.
The organization also mentioned that the "Distributed Renewable Energy Law" has not yet been enacted, as the government has failed to implement it and appoint members to the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA).
HRW emphasized that reliance on heavy fuel oil power plants and diesel generators has caused severe air pollution, significantly harming the environment and public health, potentially resulting in thousands of deaths annually in Lebanon, according to a Greenpeace estimate from 2020.
The statement further called on the Lebanese government, amid the ongoing financial and electricity crises, to intensify efforts to develop renewable energy projects locally and at the utility-scale to reduce dependence on costly and highly polluting fossil fuels.
HRW urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure that all residents have access to continuous, available, clean, and sustainable electricity from renewable energy sources. This includes implementing the Distributed Renewable Energy Law of 2023, ensuring accountability and transparency in the electricity sector by activating ERA, and conducting an audit of the state-run electricity company.