BEIRUT, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese ministers insisted Tuesday on regulating private generators business after the sector refused to lower prices as set by the energy ministry amid energy shortfall in the country, independent online news Elnashra reported.
"We will install meters to private generators to measure the exact consumption of electricity in order to determine the exact prices that should be paid by citizens," Caretaker Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil was quoted as saying.
His remarks came during a joint press conference held with Caretaker Economy Minister Raed Khoury and Caretaker Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk.
Abi Khalil insisted that the prices set by the ministry each month are calculated based on a scientific formula.
Lebanese residents usually turn to private operators during power outages, which charge higher than Karadeniz, owner of the three power barges operating in Lebanon, not to mention the state-owned electricity company.
"Citizens are paying for private generators prices that are higher than what they are consuming and this is unfair," said Abi Khalil.
Meanwhile, Khoury said that the government will not allow owners of private generators to take advantage of Lebanese citizens.
"We will also not allow any form of violation in this area," he said.
He added that the interior ministry will secure the generators if needed to provide citizens with electricity.
Meanwhile, owners of private generators in Lebanese southwestern city of Sidon rejected on Monday the energy ministry's decision to reduce their price per kilowatt from 412 Lebanese pounds (0.27 U.S. dollars) in July to 332 pounds in August.
"We call upon head of Sidon municipality to get in touch with the ministry and convince the officials to change the price in a bid to ensure the stability of this sector," owners of private generators were quoted as saying.
Governor of South Lebanon Mansour Daw announced Monday that owners of private generators have no other choice but to accept the price set by the energy ministry.
