Lebanon inks deal to buy electricity from Jordan via Syria
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Lebanese Energy Minister Walid Fayyad thanked Syria for launching the transport network to Lebanon within two months instead of six months.
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The Lebanese Minister of Energy and his Jordanian counterpart
Lebanon and Jordan signed an agreement on Wednesday under which Jordan would supply electricity to Lebanon via Syria.
During a signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Energy in the capital Beirut, Lebanese Energy Minister Walid Fayyad thanked Syria for launching the transport network to Lebanon within two months instead of six months, adding that "we will secure 250 megawatts of electricity from Jordan with support from our Syrian brothers. We count on this joint Arab action to expand cooperation between Arab countries."
The US ambassador in Beirut phoned Fayyad to congratulate me on the agreement, the Lebanese Energy Minister noted.
He also stressed that “what we are witnessing today strengthens joint Arab cooperation, not only in the field of electricity.”
Earlier, Fayyad said when he received the Jordanian Minister and his delegation that the agreement is strategic for enhancing bilateral relations and support unity between Jordan, Syria, and the rest of the Arab brothers."
Vital deal to strengthen cooperation
On his account, Jordanian Energy Minister Saleh Al-Kharabsheh stressed the deal is vital as it strengthens communication and cooperation between Arab countries.
"We are committed to cooperating with each other for the benefit and interest of all," he said.
The Jordanian minister went on to say that this agreement opens the door to cooperation in other fields, adding that the deal “comes at the hardest times that the Lebanese are facing … and we have orders to give as much as we can to help Lebanon.”
Furthermore, Jordanian Engineer Amjad Al-Rawashidi, Director General of the National Electric Power Company affirmed that "we learned from the Syrian side that the network is ready," stressing that Jordan has concluded its studies to secure delivering electricity to Lebanon.
The Syrian and Jordanian Ministers of Energy arrived in Lebanon Tuesday, accompanied by the general managers of energy transmission businesses and institutions.
Roadmap
Jordan's, Syria's, and Lebanon's energy ministers agreed in Amman in October 2021 on a roadmap for supplying Lebanon with a portion of its electricity needs.
The cost of importing energy from Jordan is approximately $200 million per year, and the same applies to importing gas from Egypt.
Lebanon has been experiencing a crisis in electricity, particularly since the beginning of the summer, with rationing hours exceeding 22 hours due to the authorities' inability to import fuel to run manufacturing units amid an economic crisis. The removal of subsidies on importing diesel fuel, which is required to run private generators, exacerbated the problem.
