After recent reports indicated that Lebanon might be headed toward “total darkness” by the end of December, MP Nazih Najem stressed that Lebanon has enough fuel to last it for another year.
“The Minister of Energy in the caretaker government, Raymond Ghajar, confirmed to me that the amount of fuel could suffice for Lebanon until the end of 2021,” Najem, the chairman of the Public Works, Transport, Energy and Water Committee, said in an online interview with Al-Jadeed.
“No darkness is expected in Lebanon,” he affirmed.
The remarks come in light of the anticipated expiration of the contract between the Lebanese government and Sonatrach, the Algerian company that has been supplying Lebanon with fuel for more than a decade.
Meanwhile, the caretaker government has yet to find a replacement for the contract, which ends on December 31st. In that regard, MP Najem stressed the necessity of completing a new tender for securing a new supplier soon.
However, although the Energy Ministry has been working on the contract’s specification, which is required for launching a tender to sign a contract with a new supplier, there are other challenges that the government will have to clear before striking a deal.
