Energy in Lebanon is dominated by oil, which represents more than 95% of the primary energy consumed in 2017.[ citation needed ] The great majority of energy used in the country is imported. [1] The energy market in Lebanon is characterized by sharply rising consumption, and frequent shortages due to dilapidated infrastructure partly destroyed by the civil war that ravaged the country between 1975 and 1990. [2] [3]
Since the 1990s, however, major work has been undertaken by the public authorities to increase production, diversify the energy mix which is highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, and connect many households without access to electricity. The consumption of primary energy has thus increased by more than 4 between 1990 and 2017, going from around 2 to more than 8 tonnes of oil equivalent over this period.[ citation needed ] But large gaps between generation capacity and electricity demand persist.
The primary energy use in 2009 in Lebanon was 77 TWh, 18 MWh per capita. [4] [5] In 2019, the total solar PV capacity was 78 MW, [6] and it reached 1300 MW at the end of 2023. [7]
Capita | Prim. energy | Production | Import | Electricity | CO2-emission | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Million | TWh | TWh | TWh | TWh | Mt | |
2004 | 3.54 | 63 | 3 | 60 | 8.85 | 15.29 |
2007 | 4.10 | 46 | 2 | 46 | 8.97 | 11.35 |
2008 | 4.14 | 61 | 2 | 61 | 9.51 | 15.23 |
2009 | 4.22 | 77 | 2 | 78 | 13.14 | 19.33 |
Change 2004–2009 | 19% | 23% | –26% | 29% | 48% | 26% |
Mtoe = 11.63 TWh, Prim. energy includes energy losses. |
Electricity in Lebanon was first introduced to power the capital city's tramways, managed by the Compagnie des Tramsways et de l'Electricite de Beyrouth, founded in 1906. In 1923, the latter merged [9] with the Compagnie du Gaz et de l'Eclairage de Beyrouth, itself founded in 1895, to become la Societe des Tramways et de l'Electricite. [10]
By 1952, an estimated 30 private companies provided electricity in different parts of the country. [11]
Electricite du Liban, the public entity that currently is the country's primary provider, was founded in 1954, [12] under the name Office d'Electricite et des Transports en Commun. Ensued a period during which the state invested massively in infrastructure, notably the first major thermoelectric plant, which started operating in 1956 in Zouk. The priority, however, was given to hydroelectric power generation, which in 1963 amounted to more than half of the country's total production of electricity. [13] In particular, the government inaugurated in 1961 a vast artificial lake near Qaraoun, in the Beqaa, whose runoff was funnelled, via tunnels under Mount Lebanon, through a succession of three hydroelectric plants. [13] Access to cheap fuel from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, combined with natural conditions largely unsuited to hydroelectric power, quickly led the country to favor thermoelectric plants. [13]
Although Electricite du Liban dominates the electricity market since the latter's nationalization in 1964, it coexists with independent entities running the hydropower plants on the Litani, Nahr Ibrahim, and Bared rivers, as well as distribution concessions in the towns of Zahle, Jbeil, Aley, and Bhamdoun. [14]
As of August 2016, electricity generation capacity in Lebanon still did not meet the country's needs. The peak electricity demand in the country in 2020 was 3,500 MW, but the total grid capacity was only 2,200 MW. [15] The country suffers frequent blackouts, [16] and many households and businesses rely on private diesel generators for electricity. [17] Domestic electricity is delivered at 230 V 50 Hz.
In May 2021, Turkish Karpowership, which provided Lebanon with 370 megawatts (MW) at a cost of $850 million per year, ceased supplying electricity due to payment arrears of $100 million, and legal threats to its two barges, MV Karadeniz Powership Fatmagül Sultan and MV Karadeniz Powership Orhan Bey . [15] [18]
In August 2021, Lebanese president announced a plan to divert its natural gas from Egypt to Jordan to produce electricity there to be added to the Lebanese grid via Syria. [19]
There was a power blackout throughout Lebanon in October 2021 after Lebanon's two largest power stations—the Zahrani and the Deir Ammar power stations—were shut down due to fuel shortages, leaving Lebanon with no centrally generated electricity, and not enough fuel for private electricity generators. [5] Power was restored the next day, after the Lebanese army delivered fuel out of its reserves. [20]
A major support for the expansion of solar energy in Lebanon is the Net Metering policy which has been adopted and approved by the Électricité du Liban (EDL). [21] Its advantages include legal and technical simplicity, in addition to the free installation of meters by EDL. [22]
Up until 2020 Lebanon had 100MW of total solar PV capacity. In 2021, another 100MW were added. In 2022, 250MW were added to bring the total solar PV capacity to 450MW. All of this capacity was added by citizens and companies investing in off-grid solar PV systems. [23]
The Arab Gas Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline exporting Egyptian natural gas to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, with a separate line to Israel. Regular gas supplies started on 19 October 2009 with the gas being delivered to the Deir Ammar power station. [24] In August 2021, Lebanon announced a plan to divert its natural gas to Jordan to produce electricity to be added to the Lebanese grid via Syria. [19]
Many countries and territories have installed significant solar power capacity into their electrical grids to supplement or provide an alternative to conventional energy sources. Solar power plants use one of two technologies:
According to the International Energy Agency, France has historically generated a very low level of carbon dioxide emissions compared to other G7 economies due to its reliance on nuclear energy. Energy in France was generated from five primary sources: nuclear power, natural gas, liquid fuels, renewables and coal. In 2020, nuclear power made up the largest portion of electricity generation, at around 78%. Coal energy is declining and due to cease. Renewables accounted for 19.1% of energy consumption in 2020. France has the largest share of nuclear electricity in the world. The country is also among the world's biggest net exporters of electricity. The country is increasingly investing in renewable energy and has set a target of 32% by 2030.
As of April 2020, the energy sector in Senegal has an installed capacity of 1431 megawatts (MW). Energy is produced by private operators and sold to the Senelec energy corporation. According to a 2020 report by the International Energy Agency, Senegal had nearly 70% of the country connected to the national grid. Current government strategies for electrification include investments in off-grid solar and connection to the grid.
As of 2019, renewable energy in Morocco covered 35% of the country’s electricity needs.
A powership is a special purpose ship, on which a power plant is installed to serve as a power generation resource.
The electricity sector in France is dominated by its nuclear power, which accounted for 71.7% of total production in 2018, while renewables and fossil fuels accounted for 21.3% and 7.1%, respectively. France has the largest share of nuclear electricity in the world, and together with renewable energy supplies, this has helped its grid achieve very low carbon intensity.
The electricity sector in Switzerland relies mainly on hydroelectricity, since the Alps cover almost two-thirds of the country's land mass, providing many large mountain lakes and artificial reservoirs suited for hydro power. In addition, the water masses drained from the Swiss Alps are intensively used by run-of-the-river hydroelectricity (ROR). With 9,052 kWh per person in 2008, the country's electricity consumption is relatively high and was 22% above the European Union's average.
Energy in Jordan describes energy and electricity production, consumption and import in Jordan. Jordan is among the highest in the world in dependency on foreign energy sources, with 92.3% of the country's energy supply being imported.
Solar power in France including overseas territories reached an installed capacity figure of 11.2 GW in 2020, and rose further to 17.1 GW at the end of 2022. Government plans announced in 2022 foresee solar PV capacity in France rising to 100 GW by 2050.
Solar power in Morocco is enabled by the country having one of the highest rates of solar insolation among other countries— about 3,000 hours per year of sunshine but up to 3,600 hours in the desert. Morocco has launched one of the world’s largest solar energy projects costing an estimated $9 billion. The aim of the project was to create 2,000 megawatts of solar generation capacity by 2020. The Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), a public-private venture, was established to lead the project. The first plant, Ouarzazate Solar Power Station, was commissioned in 2016.
Under its commitment to the EU renewable energy directive of 2009, France has a target of producing 23% of its total energy needs from renewable energy by 2020. This figure breaks down to renewable energy providing 33% of energy used in the heating and cooling sector, 27% of the electricity sector and 10.5% in the transport sector. By the end of 2014, 14.3% of France's total energy requirements came from renewable energy, a rise from 9.6% in 2005.
The MV Karadeniz Powership Esra Sultan is a Powership, a floating power plant, owned and operated by Karpowership. Built in 2007, it was converted into a Powership in 2015 by Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey. She was commissioned to supply electricity to the power grid in Ghana. Currently, she serves in Dakar, Sénégal.
The MV Karadeniz Powership Zeynep Sultan is a Liberia-flagged powership, a floating power plant, owned and operated by Karpowership. Built in 1984 by the Valmet Oy Helsingin Telakka in Vuosaari, Helsinki, Finland and christened MV Pavel Antokolsky, she sailed as a barge carrier under various names and flags until in 2015 she was converted into a Powership at the Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey. She is commissioned to supply electricity to the power grid in Amurang, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The MV Karadeniz Powership İrem Sultan is a Liberia-flagged Powership, a floating power plant, owned and operated by Karpowership. Built in 1984 by the Fincantieri Marghera Shipyard in Venice, Italy and christened MV Nikolay Markin, she sailed as a barge carrier under various names and flags until in 2014 she was converted into a powership at the Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey. She served in Nacala, Mozambique supplying electricity to Mozambique's power grid for land-locked Zambia. Currently, she serves in the Dominican Republic, and is stationed in Santo Domingo.
MV Karadeniz Powership Kaya Bey is a Liberia-flagged powership, a floating oil-burning power plant, owned and operated by Karpowership. Built in 1983 in Brazil and christened MV Gulf Grain, she sailed as a bulk carrier under various names and flags until she was acquired in 2009 to be converted into a Powership in Turkey. The Powership supplied electricity to the power grid in Pakistan, then in Basra, Iraq.
The MV Karadeniz Powership Fatmagül Sultan is a Liberia-flagged Powership, a floating power plant, owned and operated by Karpowership. Built as a barge, she was converted into a Powership in 2013 at Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey. She is commissioned to supply electricity to the power grid in Lebanon.
The MV MV Karadeniz Powership Orhan Bey is a power barge, a floating power plant, owned and operated by Karpowership. She was commissioned in 2013, and initially contracted to supply electricity to the power grid in Lebanon.
Karpowership is a Turkish builder, operator, and owner of a fleet of powerships. Since 2010, 36 powerships have been completed with their total installed capacity exceeding 6,000 MW and further capacity under construction.
Électricité du Liban is a public industrial and commercial establishment in Lebanon which controls 90% of the country's electricity production, transmission and distribution activities.
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