Egypt to supply gas to Lebanon amid fuel crisis

By Ham Ali

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) - The energy and oil ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon agreed on Wednesday on a road map to supply Beirut with Egyptian electricity and gas, to resolve a chronic energy crisis gripping the country.

The energy and oil ministers of the four nations held a meeting in the Jordanian capital, Amman, during which they agreed to revive an Arab pipeline for transferring gas and electricity.

In a press conference following the meeting, Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Hala Zawati, said the Arab line needs technical repairs to ensure that the infrastructure is suitable for supplying Egyptian gas to Lebanon.

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.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat