The Lebanese government has entered into negotiations with a consortium of companies that submitted the most attractive bid to build liquefied natural gas terminals, an advisor to Energy Minister Raymond Ghajjar told LOGI.

Zaher Sleiman said that a ministerial committee had been tasked with negotiating the project with Italy-based Eni and Qatar-based Qatar Petroleum, who submitted a bid worth $13.5 billion over 10 years for three FSRUs with gas supply and infrastructure to get the gas to Lebanon’s power plants.  The negotiations include “the whole project,” including the price of the offer and the number of gas terminals to be constructed, Sleiman said. 

The terminals, known as FSRUs, are an integral part of the Energy Ministry’s plan to run Lebanon’s power plants on natural gas, in order to reduce costs, increase efficiency and lower pollution.

Lebanon had decided to issue a tender for three FSRUs despite many experts saying the country only needed one, or a maximum of two. 

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said that Lebanon had decided to adopt three FSRUs because you need “one for the Shia, one for the Sunnis and one for the Christians.”

For more information, watch this news report (in Arabic)

Photo Source: Lebanon Gas News