Lebanon signs electricity supply agreement with Jordan via Syria

Lebanon suffers power cuts, peaking at more than 22 hours a day.

Getty Images - Andreea Campeanu

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The agreement signed on Wednesday January 26 should come into force in two months if two questions are settled.

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With our correspondent in Beirut

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The agreement to connect to the Jordanian electricity network via Syria will supply 250 megawatts to Lebanon, or 10% of its needs.

That is to say two hours of additional electricity per day which will be added to the two hours currently produced by the Lebanese power stations thanks to fuel offered by Iraq.

But before the realization of this agreement, there are two pitfalls to overcome.

The first is funding.

The World Bank has given an agreement in principle, conditional on certain reforms in the electricity sector.

This includes an increase in the price of the kilowatt, one of the cheapest in the world, as well as measures related to transparency, the fight against corruption and the restructuring of the sector.

These reforms have not yet been initiated. 

The second pitfall concerns adjustments in

, which heavily sanctions any individual or entity that makes transactions with the Syrian government.

Lebanon recently received a nine-point mechanism proposed by the United States to make these exemptions.

Washington is demanding the names of officials, technicians, contractors and companies that will cooperate with Syria on this project.

Until all these conditions are met, the project to connect to the Jordanian network will remain ink on paper.

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• Lebanon

• Syria

• Energies

• Jordan