Egypt’s Minister of Petrol Tarek El Molla said in an interview with CNBC that the gas exports to Lebanon will start at the end of 2021,
Egypt made a deal with Lebanon to supply it with gas in order to alleviate the electricity crisis, due to shortages in diesel and fuel oil.
On October 8th, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan decided on a framework for this project. Jordan and Syria will provide their help.
While questions were raised regarding possible sanctions on Lebanon due to Syria’s involvement, there won’t be any.
The gas will be going to Jordan, which will generate electricity from it, which will then be imported through Syria.
The total amount of power Lebanon will receive through this project will be around 700 Megawatts, a little bit less than a third of Lebanon’s electricity needs.
In addition to the help from the three countries, Lebanon is also looking into receiving funding from the World Bank.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s electricity situation has exacerbated in the past few months. Power plants shut down and restarted a few times due to fuel shortages.
Deals were made to provide fuel for these generators, with countries including Iraq. However, these gave a temporary solution to the continuing problem.
Private generators in the country used to provide a functional alternative to Electricite du Liban, however, even those were affected by the fuel shortages.