Jordan plans to start supplying Lebanon with electricity by the end of this year, accccording to the Jordanian energy minister.
The Lebanese government tries to tackle its crippling energy shortages amid the country’s financial meltdown.
The minister, Hala Zawati, told Sky News Arabia that Lebanon was seeking World Bank financing for the project, part of efforts backed by the United States to address Lebanon’s energy crisis.
Egypt will also supply natural gas to Lebanon via a pipeline that passes through Jordan and Syria to help boost Lebanon’s electricity output, by an agreement announced last month.
Outlined by the Lebanese presidency in August, the plan also involves using Egyptian gas to generate electricity in Jordan for transmission to Lebanon via the Syrian power grid.
U.S. senators visiting Lebanon last month said they were seeking ways to address the complicating factor of U.S. sanctions on Syria.
Iran was ready to build two power plants in Lebanon, one in Beirut and the other in the south of the country, over a period of 18 months, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in Beirut on Thursday.
Iran backs the heavily armed, Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah, deemed a terrorist group by the United States.
“We are completely ready to accomplish this project using the Islamic Republic of Iran’s technical expertise, and benefiting from joint Iranian-Lebanese investment,” he said, speaking via an Arabic translator.
He did not say who the investors could be.
Lebanon’s two major power stations shut down Saturday due to a fuel shortage which has resulted in power outages in most areas in the country, according to local media outlets.
