Beirut is ready to turn potential into profit as the government looks to accelerate efforts to develop recently surveyed offshore natural gas deposits. Extensive investment and diplomacy, however, will be required before Lebanon sees any financial or economic benefit.

Since 2008, a series of surveys commissioned by the Lebanese government have identified vast deposits of gas in waters off its coast, with some estimates putting the reserves at around 340bn cu metres – enough to power the country’s electricity stations for 100 years....continue reading