BEIRUT, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Syrian Energy Minister Ghassan al-Zamil said on Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has ordered to provide all needed assistance to facilitate the transfer of electricity from Jordan to Lebanon through Syria.
"President Assad is keen to ensure the implementation of this project which would pave the way for increased Arab cooperation in the near future," al-Zamil was quoted as saying in a statement released by Lebanon's Presidency, following the Syrian minister's meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace.
On Wednesday, a signing ceremony for an energy deal among Lebanon, Jordan and Syria is scheduled to be held at the Lebanese Energy Ministry in the capital Beirut.
Al-Zamil noted that the rehabilitation of his country's power network had been completed by the end of 2021 to allow the transfer of electricity from Jordan to Lebanon.
The deal will provide Lebanon with up to 250 megawatts of electricity during the day and 150 megawatts at night, equivalent to a total of two additional hours of power, according to Lebanon's Energy Minister Walid Fayad.
The agreement, which came amid Lebanon's severe power outage, is part of the government's wider efforts to increase the daily power supply to eight hours from just two hours now in most parts of the country.
The Lebanese government is also preparing to sign an agreement later this year to import gas from Egypt through the Arab Gas Pipeline and boost Lebanon's electricity output. ■
