GE, a global technology company, presented a comprehensive roadmap to support the 2010 Ministry of Energy and Water’s plan for the development of Lebanon’s power sector from the point of generation, to transmission, distribution and consumption at a seminar themed ‘Powering Lebanon Forward’.

The event was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Energy and Water and attended by over 140 participants, including Cesar Abi Khalil, Lebanon’s Minister of Energy and Water; Elizabeth H Richard, US Ambassador to Lebanon, government officials, industry experts, power plant owners and operators, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, developers, consultants and others.

Khalil said: “Our foremost commitment is to build the electricity infrastructure of the country to meet the shortage of power, which is important to drive infrastructure development and all-round progress.”

“We can transform the country’s power ecosystem with the active participation of private sector corporations such as GE, whose comprehensive roadmap and technologies meet our requirements to develop the strong fundamentals needed for a sustainable energy future for our country,” he added.

According to estimates, Lebanon has an energy shortfall of 1.5 gigawatts (GW). Moreover, the demand for power is projected to continue growing at an estimated 5 per cent annually from 2018 to 2021, and at 3 per cent beyond 2021 through to the end of 2030.

The challenge of generation shortages is further compounded by grid-related issues such as dilapidated networks and unauthorised connections.

The roadmap has proposed to:
• Add up to 1.5 GW through fast power technology and new simple cycle power plants that are tri-fuel capable - able to run on heavy fuel oil (HFO), light diesel oil (LDO) and natural gas, as well as wind power plants that can help to generate clean energy, in the short-term.

• Increase power generation capacity by up to an additional 1.3 GW through new combined cycle power plants, the conversion of simple cycle power plants to combined cycle power plants so that more power can be generated from the same amount of fuel, and new wind power farms, in the medium-term.

• Bring online up to another 2.7 GW to meet the country’s energy needs through new combined cycle power plants and renewable energy facilities, in the long-term.

• Strengthen the grid through extensions to up to six existing substations and developing up to 17 new substations.

• Install an Integrated Energy Management system to allow the Ministry to identify losses in the network.

Midhat Mirabi, general manager of GE’s Power Services business in the East Mediterranean, North Africa and Iraq sub-region, said: “Our company has been present in Lebanon since the early development of its energy sector, with the first GE steam turbine in the country commissioned in 1987 and the first GE gas turbines entering operations in 1996.”

“Today, we are excited to build upon this legacy of contributions with a comprehensive roadmap for the electrification of Lebanon that can help strengthen the country’s power sector for present and future generations and build the foundations needed to enable progress for the people,” he said.

GE operates across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (Menat) and has supported the development of the region’s power sector for more than 80 years. Today, more than 2,450 GE gas and steam turbines are installed by over 360 customers in Menat and can generate up to a third of the region’s power. The company also has offices in Beirut with over 90 direct and indirect employees. – TradeArabia News Service