BEIRUT: Lebanon is dragging its feet in the matter of responding to Tehran’s proposal to supply the country with electricity at low prices, An-Nahar newspaper reported Wednesday.
Iran has recently renewed its proposal to supply Lebanon with electricity. But the issue of Iranian support is a sensitive one, with Lebanon’s rival political factions divided on Iran’s relationship with the country. The March 14 coalition criticizes Tehran’s backing of Hezbollah and bristles at the March 8 alliance’s close ties with the Islamic Republic.
“The agreement was proposed in the days of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s [2010 visit to Lebanon] last winter and we are still waiting for a response from Lebanon,” Ghazanfar Roknabadi told the daily in comments published Wednesday.
Roknabadi added that Iran’s proposal is to export energy to Lebanon via Syria and to build power plants in a bid to bridge the wide gap between production and consumption.
“In the first phase, we could produce 200 megawatts, but Lebanon requires 1,000 megawatts, so we suggested building power plants to produce 500 megawatts with a view to supplying the entire 1,000 the second year,” Tehran’s envoy said.
Lebanon’s consumption exceeds 2,400 MW, far greater than the 1,500 MW produced.
On Jan. 23, Electricité du Liban announced it had completed maintenance work on the first gas turbine at the Zahrani power plant, which is expected to increase electricity supply to 1,500 MW.
Endemic power cuts have worsened during the past month as maintenance work on several production units takes its toll on electricity supply. The situation has prompted citizens to launch a series of demonstrations, particularly in south Lebanon, the Chouf and the Bekaa regions.
Energy Minister Jibran Bassil, who has come under fire due to the lengthy electricity cuts, argues that the problem of power shortages stems from the negligence of previous governments as well as insufficient investment in the electricity sector.