Lebanon’s caretaker Energy Minister, Walid Fayyad, announced that the country’s fuel reserves for electricity generation would last for 12 days.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Fayyad detailed that Lebanon has 30,000 tons of gas oil available for power plants, with daily consumption reaching 2,500 tons.
Fayyad also provided updates on additional fuel shipments expected to arrive in the coming days. Lebanon is set to receive an additional 60,000 tons of gas oil under a pre-existing agreement with Iraq, alongside a further 24,000 tons from Algeria as part of a recent fuel donation.
Since June 2021, Lebanon has been importing one million tons of fuel annually from Iraq to power its electricity plants.
This arrangement has allowed for about four hours of electricity per day across the country. The agreement was later expanded to 1.5 million tons, reflecting the country’s growing energy needs.
On August 18, 2023, Algeria announced its decision to provide Lebanon with fuel supplies as a grant, in response to Lebanon’s worsening energy crisis.
Minister Fayyad noted that with the arrival of the agreed-upon shipments, Lebanon’s fuel reserves would be sufficient to generate electricity for 45 days at the current production levels.
In a separate statement, Fayyad reassured Lebanese citizens that the country has sufficient reserves of oil derivatives for the medium term. He confirmed that there is no current shortage of gasoline or diesel but did not provide specific figures.
He also urged fuel distribution companies to prioritize southern Lebanon to alleviate supply shortages in the region, which has been facing a more acute energy crisis.
