Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt on Tuesday agreed to ship 650 million cubic metres of natural gas per year from Egypt to Lebanon via Syria, part of a US-backed effort to address Lebanon’s crippling blackouts with electricity and gas transfers.

Under the deal, signed at a ceremony at the Lebanese energy ministry in Beirut, gas will be piped to Lebanon’s northern Deir Ammar power plant, where it could add some 450 megawatts, or around four extra hours of power per day to the grid.

Lebanon’s state-run power company produces just a couple hours of power per day, forcing many to pay for expensive private generator subscriptions.

The deal is part of a US effort to address the power outages in Lebanon by bringing electricity from Jordan to Lebanon and shipping natural gas from Egypt to Lebanon, both via Syria. These plans will add an additional 700 megawatts to the Lebanese grid.

Source: VOV5