Jordan is set to host a meeting involving Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt to discuss transferring gas and electricity to Lebanon, Jordanian media has reported.
Amman will welcome on Wednesday the petroleum and energy ministers of Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon to discuss the required steps to activate the agreements between the four countries regarding the gas-electricity deal, according to Jordan News Agency.
The meeting will address technical and financial matters, set a timeline for the project, and activate a technical team that will inspect all relevant sites in each of the countries, Lebanese caretaker Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar later stated.
The said team’s goal is to ensure that the targeted sites are fit for the project and can function safely, Ghajar indicated.
“In order for us to transmit electricity, the electricity must pass through a 400-kilovolt network from Jordan through Syria to Lebanon,” he said, noting that “there are damages, and there’s a need for a survey to ascertain their size.”
Lebanon has four power plants that are already equipped to operate on gas, Ghajar added.
One of those, the Deir Ammar plant, operated on gas for six months in 2009 before stopping after a disruption in the gas supply.
For it to resume gas operations, the official noted, it would need to be inspected by a specialized company.
It has been estimated that the plan will cover about a third of Lebanon’s total electricity needs.
