Electricity Crisis Lingering Amid Lack of Consensus on Power-Generating Vessels
A meeting headed by Prime Minister Najib Miqati at the Grand Serail for the ministerial committee tasked with finding a solution to Lebanon's prolonged electricity crisis failed to reach a decisive decision concerning the leasing of power-generating ships, local newspapers reported on Tuesday.
The meeting revealed the sharp differences between Miqati and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil on the two offers by a Turkish and an American company that won the tenders.
Sources told An Nahar newspaper that the premier considered the $450 million cost of the project, which extends over 5 years, is very high as it doesn’t provide the country with additional megawatts but it comes as a substitute for the Zouk and Jiyyeh power plants that will undergo rehabilitation.
The sources stated that Miqati seemed unconvinced by the project and its “usefulness.”
According to the daily, the meeting of the committee was postponed until Thursday.
The energy minister’s sources expressed dissatisfaction with Miqati’s behavior, arguing that the current energy expenses reach around $1.08 billion.
“The premier didn’t reject the power-generating vessels project but he didn’t either make a new suggestion… Frankly, I didn’t understand what the PM wants,” Bassil said.
As Safir newspaper reported that Miqati is seeking to build an additional power plant “swiftly.”
“Miqati informed the committee members that he had an offer from a third company, but he will not discuss it as he has personal ties with the owner,” a minister told the daily.
Al-Liwaa newspaper said that a dispute between Bassil and the committee members emerged to the surface over the mechanism of the tenders and their transparency.
“We either want to produce electricity or turn off the state’s motors and stop the production,” Bassil told An Nahar.
Lebanon’s lingering electricity crisis has become a burden on citizens after shortages at its power plants whose maximum capacity is less than 1,500 megawatts.
The country’s actual need exceeds 2,300 megawatts.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/33972 |