Officials Exert Efforts to Resolve Electricity Crisis
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman and Ministers loyal to Hizbullah and AMAL have sought to mediate in an attempt to resolve the dispute between Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Energy Minister Jebran Bassil on the electricity crisis, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Suleiman is expected to hold meetings on Tuesday with several ministers in order to seek consensus concerning the matter.
Meanwhile, Bassil will hold a press conference after the Change and Reform bloc meeting led by MP Michel Aoun to clarify his position.
Al-Liwaa reported if the cabinet session scheduled to be held at the Baabda Palace on Wednesday witnessed a heated debate and sharp rift between ministers over the electricity crisis, Bassil might propose a vote, whereby each side would then state it’s point of view.
On Monday, extensive contacts were held between PM Miqati and Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi, who is loyal to the premier, but has voiced his support to Bassil’s approach to the electricity crisis.
Miqati also held talks with Bassil, who is loyal to Aoun.
However, Bassil said that the meeting didn’t tackle the electricity crisis.
The premier argues in a report that the establishment of a power plant takes a year and would cost maximum 480 million dollars for at least a 25-year service, while Energy Minister Bassil’s proposal suggests that the two companies that have won tenders, a Turkish and an American company, would provide power through ships and would cost the state around $1 billion for a period of five years without the expenses of the fuel oil.
As Safir newspaper reported that Miqati’s proposal was drafted from an Iranian offer to help provide Lebanon with electricity that was proposed before to PM Saad Hariri in 2010, however, it never saw light.
The daily said that Iran offered to provide Lebanon with 1,200 megawatts, as the country’s actual needs exceeds 2,300 megawatts but the current power plants’ maximum capacity is less than 1,500 megawatts.
Iran, according to the report, offered to build two additional power plants and supply Lebanon with electricity through a network that passes through Iraq and Syria, in addition to the rehabilitation of the existing network in Lebanon.
The sum of the energy would then become 1,200 megawatts, and would cost the treasury around $1 billion.
27 March 2012, 10:09
13
First things come first. Prevent the Shia from stealing electricity then build new power plants. Ma na2iss inno we reward them. Already they are stealing a lot, imagine they'd be stealing 24/7... At our expense! I'd much rather stay in the dark!
27 March 2012, 11:52
01
Great idea but it will never pass because why would the people getting free energy support this idea?
I suggest to allow the people who are paying their electrical bill will be given the means to produce there own energy via solar wind and water.
27 March 2012, 16:26
00
at the fore front of this is Cinmar Lightning Systems. they are trying to building solar and wind street lights and they have but the goverment is not paying them. this can not be done until this deadlock ends.
27 March 2012, 19:29
01
That's a great incentive that can be issued by government.
Also, decentralizing power distribution still means that the small bodies managing the process in the rural areas still need to report to government (for control purposes)
think of it this way, decentralizing power by rural area means that the south will need to implement these new ideas to get their power, because main lines would be cut off from Beirut to the suburbs.
now, this is ALL ideal. But, it can never work in a deeply corrupt system.
but if we take baby steps, one by one, we can get there.
27 March 2012, 11:58
03
There are many ways to decrease electricity usage without resorting to building a power plant or getting it through ships.
First, place a ban on all incandescent lamps in Lebanon and replace them with LED lamps.
Second, replace all HID street lights with LED with integrated solar panels.
Third, decentralize electricity providers and have each rural community (especially in the mountains) provide for its own electricity. This can be achieved with already existing generators, and the government can provide incentives to produce solar panels, wind mills, water dams, etc.
Fourth, make it law that all water heating is done by solar energy through solar panels.
Not only will this solve problem, but it will create jobs.
Fikra no?
27 March 2012, 14:48
00
Eh walla fikra! would like to join our think tank? email us at
lightlebanon@gmail.com
our blog is lightlebanon@blogspot.com and
facebook page www.facebook.com/Lightlebanon
27 March 2012, 15:45
01
What you suggest is pretty much the standard in the western world. The first country that banned incandescent lightbulbs was Australia years ago! Fluocompact bulbs would be good to start with as LED are pricey. My kitchen and bathrooms are exclusively are lit with LED and the other rooms with fluocompact lightbulbs. In order to spare the LED bulbs, I had to replace the switches, from unipolar to bipolar because it was burning them... The boiler/heater is turned on 1h-2h before taking the shower (unable to go for solarpower).... Not 24/7.... Plenty more can be done. Unplugging The TV when not in use etc... Even the laptop. The laptop uses 20watts when switched off if plugged. That's invisible waste of energy.
27 March 2012, 12:29
12
let us look at it the real way first:
entire regions do not pay their bills: why not stop supplying them with electricity, which will reduce the total required MW power for the rest of us, i.e. we will have no more power cuts, and, the electricity will be profitable again, and, we will not need to build new generation plants.
27 March 2012, 12:30
12
when some people make stupid remarks, they only deserve replies of the same kind.
pay your bills first, bunch of thieves that you are, then come and hve a say in this matter.
27 March 2012, 14:49
02
There is a company that offered to invest their own capital of more than 1 billion dollars to install wind turbines in the sea. EDL does not have to pay for this but only needs to pay for the produced electric at 7 cents per kw. The private company was told that EDL can not buy power from private companies. The private company asked then how can EDL buy from the barges.
27 March 2012, 15:32
00
let us look at it the real way first:
entire regions do not pay their bills: why not stop supplying them with electricity, which will reduce the total required MW power for the rest of us, i.e. we will have no more power cuts, and, the electricity will be profitable again, and, we will not need to build new generation plants.
27 March 2012, 15:37
10
Lebanon is à tiny country, perfectly manageable on a national scale... Dividing it further would be nonsense.
27 March 2012, 18:50
03
Basra, Iraq installed 9000 MW in 12 months while Lebanon is still trying to get a plan in place where the politicians can make some money. But of course, the politicians are saying it's for the Lebanese people--yeh-right, like we believe you.
