Egypt to supply Lebanon with natural gas via Jordan and Syria

Amman, September 8 - Neftegaz.RU. Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon today reached an agreement to provide Egyptian natural gas to Lebanon via Jordan and Syria.

The meeting included the Syrian Minister of Oil & Mineral Resources Bassam Tohme, the Jordanian Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources Hala Zawati, the Lebanese Minister of Energy Raymond Ghajar and the Egyptian counterpart Tarek El Molla.

Speaking at the conference, Raymond Ghajar said:

• Lebanon needs 650 million m3 of gas per year
• The country seeks to receive gas from Egypt that is sufficient for generating 450 megawatts of power at present
• Lebanon will be working with the World Bank to secure the necessary funding for the purchase of power and gas

Lebanon suffers from a severe shortage of electricity supply due to insufficient fuel needed for power generation, in addition to a sharp rise in the prices of derivatives due to the collapse of the lira, and the lack of foreign exchange needed for imports.

Syria agreed a few days ago to the Lebanese side’s request for assistance in passing Egypt´s gas and Jordanian electricity through Syrian territory to Lebanon, during a session of Syrian-Lebanese talks held in Damascus.

Syrian Minister said the next step would involve technical meetings in Syria.
This would ensure the infrastructure is ready to transport the Egyptian gas to its destination.