Lebanon has managed to strike a deal to get electricity from Jordan through Syria, according to official sources from Jordan.
The supply is expected to begin in early 2022, to a country that is currently starved for electricity and witnesses prolonged power cuts.
Jordan’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Saleh Kharabsheh has been quoted by the sources as saying that decision came following a meeting between his country, Syria, and Lebanon on Thursday, October 28.
Lebanese Energy and Water Minister Walid Fayyad and Syrian Electricity Minister Ghassan Zamil also attended the meeting, where the three parties discussed how to supply Jordanian electricity to Lebanon through the Syrian electric grid.
Kharabsheh was quoted by the official sources as saying that the three countries had reached the final version of the contract to supply Lebanon with Jordan’s electricity through Syrian territory.
Electricity quantities to be delivered to Lebanon were the most prominent issue that was agreed upon between the three countries, Kharabsheh said, adding that the amount to be supplied Lebanon will nearly stand at 150 MW from midnight until 6 am and 250 MW during the remaining periods.
In response to a question, Kharabsheh referred to technical issues on the Syrian grid that are being solved and will be completed before the end of 2021, adding that the process of supplying Lebanon with electricity is expected to begin early 2022.
Lebanon has been under the influence of an economic crisis that the World Bank has said could be among the top three worst in the world.
With the Lebanese pound having lost more than 90 percent of its value since end-2019, the country has been struggling to procure fuel for power generation.
The country has already seen one bout of complete blackout, with people having to rely on costly electric supply from generators for their basic power needs.