Beirut turns to renewables to ease energy crisis
A far-reaching electricity sector reform plan puts solar and wind at the heart of the government’s energy strategy
Lebanon’s Council of Ministers awarded developer licences in early May for 165MW of solar PV facilities across the country, almost exactly five years since inviting bids. Whether bankable power-purchase agreements (PPAs) are attainable within the one-year timeframe amid a political and financial crisis is highly uncertain. However, the failings of the existing electricity system and heavily indebted utility Electricite du Liban—coupled with fossil-fuel poverty unusual for the region—are drawing increasing attention to the country’s largely untapped renewables potential. In 2017, the Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation (LCEC), an arm of the Ministry of Energy and Water, launched an auctio

Also in this section
30 April 2025
State administrations are using a flawed metric to justify green energy projects
29 April 2025
Spain’s unprecedented blackout highlighted the risk for green hydrogen producers with exposure to Europe’s creaking power grids
24 April 2025
Liverpool Bay project on track for 2028 startup as Italian energy company reaches financial close with government for CO₂ transport and storage network
21 April 2025
Agreement on a two-tier emissions trading scheme does not go far enough to meet IMO GHG reduction targets, say observers