Qatar’s offer to build 3 power plants to ease Lebanon’s electricity crisis is blocked

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s caretaker economy minister says the country’s rulers, fuel companies and private electricity providers have blocked an offer by gas-rich Qatar to build three renewable energy power plants to ease the crisis-hit nation’s decades-old electricity crisis. Amin Salam told reporters Thursday that Qatar offered last year to build the plants with a capacity of 450 megawatts or about 25% of the small nation’s needs. Doha didn’t receive a response since then from Lebanon’s caretaker government. Lebanon’s electricity crisis worsened after the country’s historic economic meltdown began in October 2019. Power cuts often last for much of the day leaving many reliant on expensive private generators that work on diesel and raise pollution levels.