Public facilities and administrative offices across Lebanon faced an imminent cutoff of state-supplied electricity as a deadline set by Électricité du Liban approached at the start of November 2026. The utility, struggling with funding shortages, insisted that government departments and municipal bodies settle accumulated debt rather than operating indefinitely on power.
Beirut Airport’s Payment Pledge and the Dispute Over State Dues
The standoff escalated sharply when Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport suffered a prolonged blackout that forced it onto backup generators to maintain air navigation. While Ministry of Energy sources attributed that specific outage to technical issues, the Civil Aviation Directorate intervened to avert a permanent disconnection, agreeing to make an immediate payment, schedule past arrears, and settle monthly bills on time.
The Air Transport Union criticized the cutoff threats, but the Ministry of Energy and Water fired back, arguing that public facilities must pay for electricity.
According to almarkazia.com, the Ministry of Energy and Water stated that “the decision to cut off the electricity supply to defaulters is not an emotional reaction, nor is it a punitive or arbitrary measure as the statement tries to portray it, but rather a necessary measure that falls within the framework of the principle”
South Lebanon Water Disclosures and Collection Drop
As utility officials targeted municipal and administrative defaulters, South Lebanon Water Establishment pushed back against generalized accusations of non-payment.
The water institution noted that its collection rate plummeted to 12 percent after subscribers withheld payments amid circulating rumors of impending government fee exemptions for 2026. Official filings submitted to the Ministry of Energy and Water documented compensation claims totaling approximately 2,603,667,746,000 Lebanese pounds for 2024 and 2025 following parliamentary exemptions. The water body warned that cutting power to pumping stations would directly dry up household supplies across southern districts.
Palestinian Refugee Camp Debts and Institutional Warnings
The crackdown also encompassed Palestinian refugee camps. Officials gave camps a notice following an October 23, 2026 board session. Reports from the Palestinian Refugees Portal indicated that unexecuted meter installation requests range from 1,600 to 2,000 in the old camp, alongside approximately 1,300 pending requests in Beddawi camp.
Abu Samer Mousa, Palestinian relations official for Islamic Jihad in Lebanon, called for coordination between the Lebanese state, the PLO, and UNRWA.
Legal Debates and Financial Restructuring Strains
Experts challenged the utility’s collection tactics. Ghassan Beidoun argued that cutting power to vital public infrastructure like hospitals, water authorities, and the airport amounted to a gamble that endangers public safety. Beidoun contended that the utility shared responsibility for payment delays due to its failure to lower tariffs in line with dropping global oil benchmarks.