Speculation Arises on whether GE Made Proposal to Construct Power Plant in Lebanon
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s sources questioned reports that the General Electric company had made a proposal over constructing a power plant in Lebanon, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.
They told the daily that the premier’s suggestion to build a plant to resolve the country’s power crisis did not include the name of a specific company.
“The American company has not made an official proposal, but simply suggestions presented by some of its representatives,” it added.
They said that there is a possibility that the plant could be constructed within a period of 14 months, stated the sources.
They added that a ministerial meeting headed by Miqati on Monday should remove all speculation over this issue.
Meanwhile, Minister of Economy Nicolas Nahhas refuted these claims, saying that General Electric had indeed made a proposal to the Lebanese government, reported the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah newspaper on Sunday.
He explained: “Powerful companies such as General Electric make their proposals through their own sources and not through written documents.
“Any allegations that the company had not made the proposal are aimed at creating political debates,” said the minister.
A committee charged with studying the electrify file is scheduled to convene on Monday, headed by Miqati.
An official at General Electric denied that it has made an offer to construct a power plant in Lebanon after the American company offered apologies Miqati and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil about the misunderstanding, As Safir daily reported Saturday.
It quoted the official as saying that the firm has never made an official offer. The newspaper also said that several GE officials apologized to Miqati and Bassil after a staff member in the region made the offer illegally.
The officials stressed that they have relieved the employee of his duties.
Media reports had said that Miqati was advocating a proposal by GE to construct a power plant at the cost of $500 million.
But the controversy was resolved after the cabinet approved on Wednesday a proposal made by Bassil to lease power-generating vessels for a maximum of three years to produce 270 megawatts and to construct power plants of 1,500-megawatt capacity as advocated by the prime minister.
01 April 2012, 09:29
13
All the political of Lebanon are Liars and not clean !
If the agreement is not as per their needs they will start creating problems ! all of them are bullshit
01 April 2012, 10:15
03
all of our politicians should be removed. Bring some fresh blood.
01 April 2012, 10:46
08
The dude claims offers aren't done through written means in order to snatch some cash when the deal occurs. It has to be written down as GE pays taxes and can be held accountable in the US and in Lebanon.
01 April 2012, 11:49
23
They will never allow GE to bid because the US govt won't allow GE to pay bribes... They already kicked out the regional employee for possibly trying to get a kickback... he must be a Lebanese national... It runs in the veins...
01 April 2012, 16:45
02
What a load of rubbish!
Any private commercial proposal is made in writing - end of story.
01 April 2012, 19:22
10
Actually a proposal can be done without any written document. There is no requirement of a certain form of the proposal in common law.
If we had any people in the government, knowing their job, we could have sued GE as Lebanon did a major decision, on the fact that GE gave us a proposal of constructing the pland, for 500 million EURO.
That is, if the price is not suspiciously cheap, meaning that Lebanon should have understood that it is not a real offer.
01 April 2012, 22:45
02
dear ulpianus,
common law does not apply with government agreements - those agreements are law upon themselves once approved - but for it to be approved it must be in writing ;)
personally i think that if the government dosent want to buy hydro electric and solar plants/panels then they should spend 150 million training engineers to build plants and let lebanon make them internally.
02 April 2012, 05:59
01
the Employee Name is Abdurrahman Alkhalidy and he should be fired for this illegal Proposal !
02 April 2012, 12:21
01
Lebanon's political establishment is innovative only in finding ways to illegally extract money for their own personal gain. Our government is against the people, not for it!!!! We need REVOLUTIONARY change. Not one politician is genuinely committed to the public interest, the environment, or building a better future for our country. What about seriously considering wind and solar power? Lebanon certainly has plenty of both wind and sun. As an example, our neighbor, Cyprus, has vast wind power production. Or better yet, how about reducing our current energy demands through consumption reduction and product efficiency through strict enforcement of laws and providing individuals and businesses with incentives? It is time our defunct political establishment is accountable to us, the People of Lebanon.
