Energy Library

July 15, 2016

The Lebanese electric power sector is run by the Electricité du Liban (EDL), an autonomous stateowned power utility, whose mission is to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to all Lebanese territories (EDL, 2012). The power utility is a public establishment with an industrial and commercial vocation, and is operating under the Administrative Tutelage of the MoEW, which is responsible for policy formulation of the water, power, and fuel sectors.

EDL, founded by Decree No. 16878 dated July 10, 1964, controls over 90% of the Lebanese electricity sector (EDL, 2012). Other participants in the sector include hydroelectric power plants owned by the Litani River Authority, concessions for hydroelectric power plants such as Nahr Ibrahim and Al Bared, and distribution concessions in Zahle, Jbeil, Aley, and Bhamdoun. Hydro power plants have a total installed capacity of 274MW, but due to their old age and the drop in water resources, the nominal generation capacity is around 190MW, constituting around 10% of the total generation capacity of the country.

In 2009, EDL produced more than 15,000 GWh through 7 major thermal power plants owned directly or indirectly by the Establishment and located in different areas of Lebanon and it purchased a limited quantity of electric energy from the concessions (MoEW, 2010). The thermal generation units are operating using heavy fuel oilfired steam turbines at Zouk, Jieh and Hreysheh; diesel-fired combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) commissioned in 1994 at Beddawi and Zahrani; and diesel-fired open cycle gas turbines (OCGT) at Tyre and Baalbeck. Read more