Arab energy ministers approve roadmap to supply Lebanon with Egyptian oil

The energy ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon have approved a roadmap to supply natural gas to Lebanon amid its ongoing fuel and electricity crisis, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The officials held a meeting in Jordan where Egypt’s petroleum minister said that they may need to check their gas transport infrastructure to be able to supply fuel to Lebanon and that he hopes to export it “as soon as possible.”

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Lebanon hopes to receive enough Egyptian gas to generate 450 megawatts of electricity, according to the crisis-weary country’s energy minister.

Lebanese caretaker energy minister said on Wednesday his country was working with the World Bank to secure financing for a scheme to import Egyptian gas to Jordan that will generate power to supply Lebanon.

“We are working with the World Bank to cover the correct financial cover,” Raymond Ghajar told a news conference after meeting his Jordanian, Syrian and Lebanese counterparts.

The meeting was to discuss a US-backed plan to ease Lebanon’s power crisis which involves using Egyptian gas to generate power in Jordan that would be transmitted via Syria.

The group of ministers are expected to also discuss providing Lebanon with an electricity supply from Jordan through Syria, according to Jordan’s energy minister. He also said that each Arab country involved will be responsible for the costs incurred to ensure gas transit to Lebanon.

The US has been in talks with Egypt and Jordan over a plan to ease Lebanon’s power crisis.

A top level Lebanese delegation went to Damascus on Saturday to pave the way for the US-backed plan to ease the power shortages in Lebanon.

US sanctions on Damascus are a complicating factor in any effort to help Lebanon via Syria, but diplomats say Washington is looking at ways to urgently deal with those hurdles.

With the state floundering, the heavily armed Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group that is the country’s most powerful political entity, last month announced it was importing fuel oil from Iran, saying it aims to ease the crisis.

Its adversaries have said this further undermined the authority of the state and exposed Lebanon to the risk of US sanctions.

With Reuters

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