Egypt expected to start supplying Lebanon with gas by start of 2022: minister

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, said Tuesday he expects Egypt to start supplying Lebanon with gas by the start of 2022.

Speaking during the ADIPEC oil, gas, and energy conference in Abu Dabi, El Molla announced that Egypt expects to start exporting 60 million to 65 million cubic feet of gas per day to Lebanon by early next year.

"Egypt will supply gas in line with the quantity requested by Lebanon as soon as possible, and it can be expected at the end of the year or early next year," he said, adding that authorities were currently carrying out due diligence and checking pipelines.

Under an agreement announced in September, Egypt will supply natural gas to Lebanon via a pipeline that passes through Jordan and Syria to help boost Lebanon's electricity output.

Jordan will also provide Lebanon with electricity via Syria, financed by a loan from the World Bank. The three countries agreed to the plan last month.

The Syrian regime had said rehabilitation on its network should be completed by the end of the year in order to help export the energy to neighbouring Lebanon.

It is believed that both Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity could keep the lights on in Lebanon for an additional 10 hours a day, as most regions currently suffer from blackouts lasting up to 22 hours.

Lebanon has suffered an acute electricity crisis this year made worse by a lack of foreign currency to purchase fuel. The problem is decades old and has never been fully resolved due to rampant corruption and mismanagement.