Electricité du Liban Faces Revenue Woes: Syrian Refugee Camps' Unpaid Electricity Usage

In its pursuit of revenue enhancement, Electricité du Liban (EDL) faces a reality that constitutes a part and a cause of Lebanon's revenue collection problem. 

The reality is the electricity utilization by Syrian refugee camps without payment to the Electricité du Liban. During field visits, it was observed that some camps benefit from the electricity supply without paying for it, using illegal encroachments. 

Others make payments to the landowners on which the camps are built.

The third model involves the installation of meters by Electricité du Liban in around 900 camps without clarity on who will bear the expenses of these meters and the payment mechanism. 
Despite being in communication for over a month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has not fully cooperated with the institution. 

The UNHCR proposed deducting a portion of the assistance funds each refugee or Syrian family receives as a contribution towards their electricity expenses. Still, the suggestion and subsequent meetings and correspondence have yet to yield results so far.

Electricité du Liban directed five requests and inquiries to the UNHCR, including:

Providing a list of UNHCR staff responsible for each camp.
Supplying a list of employees who can coordinate with camp authorities and Electricité du Liban teams for collecting electricity consumption bills.

Proposing a secure mechanism for invoicing and bill collection.
Identifying the ownership of the land where each camp is located and whether it belongs to the state or individuals. If it belongs to individuals, have the electricity consumption bills been paid?

The UNHCR has only responded to one of the five questions, prompting Caretaker Minister of Energy Walid Fayyad to send a second message to the UNHCR requesting answers to all questions and Electricité du Liban's inquiries.