The National Electrical Utility Company is a private company and is part of the multinational Lighting, Energy & Engineering group, Debbas. NEUC was established after Debbas won a tender in 2012 set by Électricité du Liban (EDL) in association with the Lebanese Ministry of Energy, to operate and maintain the electrical distribution utility network on behalf of EDL. Its operations covered one third of Lebanon as part of the Distribution Service Providers project (DSP), which aims at rehabilitating and modernizing the power grid. The original project time span was four years and was then extended temporarily until the Council of Ministers granted it an extension of an additional four years until 2021. NEUC currently operates in the southern region of Mount Lebanon and Chiah that are covered by the 5 EDL divisions: Chiah, Aley, Beiteddine, Bhamdoun and Wadi El Zineh. In order to modernize the electricity distribution grid and create a smarter grid that would supply around-the-clock electricity to all customers, NEUC has been working on several fronts since its establishment: Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Construction and Rehabilitation of Feeders & Substations Meter Reading & Bill Collection Maintenance & Operations Inspection & Violation Removal Asset Management Customer Service 24/7 call center