The current energy crisis is more than a metaphor for the complicated situation in Lebanon. Electricity supply is a daily challenge. Except for those inhabitants who can afford a generator and fuel, the rest suffer from limited usage and long hours of power cuts. In the past, the use ofgenerators allowed the Lebanese to cope with the hardship, but the fall of the Lebanese pound has pushed up the price of fuel.

The power cuts revive the hardships of the civil war that left many wounds unhealed. The energy crisis in Lebanon has escalated in recent months, increasing social tension, gloom and disrupting basic aspects of daily life. The tipping point came last October when two major power plants were forced to shut down due to fuel shortages. Beirut, once a tourist capital, is plunged into darkness and the population suffers from the absence of a vital energy service.

The depreciation of the Lebanese pound by up to 80 per cent has hit the country's electricity industry and the import-dependent commodity trade. This economic crisis has caused 55% of the Lebanese population to live below the poverty line. The explosion in the Beirut port warehouses that destroyed part of the surrounding neighbourhoods, the war in Syria and the influx of refugees seeking safety have further deepened the crisis.