Egyptian natural gas should reach Lebanon through Jordan and Syria soon after maintenance of pipelines and the review of a deal interrupted 10-years ago are finalized by early October.
There is no date yet for when the gas will be pumped. But reviving the Arab gas pipeline to deliver Egyptian gas to Lebanon comes as the small country is reeling from a crippling energy crisis.
Lebanese Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar said the World Bank would help his cash-strapped government guarantee payment for the gas, which is expected to help produce 450 megawatts of electricity in the country’s only natural gas plant, in northern Lebanon.
Speaking at a news conference with the three ministers in Amman, Jordanian energy minister Hala al-Zawati said the infrastructure to resume gas flow to Lebanon needed checks after a 10-year hiatus. These should be finished in three weeks.
Egyptian energy minister Tarek Mullah said some clauses in the deal will also need reviewing. He didn’t elaborate.
Lebanon is witnessing an economic crisis described as one of the world’s worst since the 1850s. Shortages of medicine, fuel and basic supplies have often brought the country to standstill, while political disagreements have foiled efforts to form a government to negotiate a rescue package with international financial institutions.
The Arab cooperation to deliver gas to Lebanon through Syria represents a significant thawing of relations between the war-ravaged country and its neighbors, most of who had either cut diplomatic ties or limited relations to security collaboration during the 10-year civil war.
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