In a development that surprised and astonished many, a new fuel price schedule was announced on Thursday. This announcement comes ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday tomorrow, Friday, in an unusual step, as it is customary to postpone the issuance of pricing until after the holiday. The schedule included a new increase in the price of diesel, which increases the burden on citizens and raises the dissatisfaction of private generator owners.
In this context, the head of the Association of Private Generator Owners in Lebanon, Abdo Saadeh, criticized the issuance of the schedule at this time, considering that it could have been postponed until next week, instead of adding new financial burdens to citizens.
Saadeh stressed that any increase in the price of diesel will directly affect the generator bill, noting that the cost has risen significantly since the beginning of the war until now. He explained that if prices rise by between 40 and 50%, this will be directly reflected in the cost of subscriptions, meaning that a citizen who used to pay $100 a month will today have to pay about $150.
He believed that this situation would lead to widespread dissatisfaction among citizens in light of the difficult living conditions, stressing that generator owners are committed to the official pricing issued by the Ministry of Energy, which will inevitably reflect this increase.
He wondered about the reasons behind issuing the pricing today, noting that last month the generator prices were issued on March 2 instead of the end of February, while today, under the pretext of the holiday, fuel prices were issued ahead of schedule instead of postponed.
He considered that this timing gives companies additional days to benefit, as if the minister is “an employee of the companies,” while the citizen bears the burden, whether through the generator bill or transportation costs.
Saadeh concluded his speech by saying: “This reality is no longer tolerable, and the people’s cry will grow louder…” He added: “The Minister of Energy is unconscious, and I do not know what is going on.”
