Lebanon preparing for arrival of power-generating ships

Power cuts in Beirut could soon be a thing of the past as the country readies itself for power-generating ships

The first of the two Turkish power-generating vessels is expected to arrive in Beirut soon, reported the [Lebanese] daily An Nahar on Saturday.

It said that the “Fatmagul Sultan” set sail on Friday, but it did not disclose when it is scheduled to arrive in the country.

The arrival of the ships had been subject to numerous delays.

Reports in December had expected the ship to arrive in Beirut in April even though it was initially expected to dock in Lebanon in November 2012.

Energy Minister Jebran Bassil explained at the time that the delay was attributed to the government's failure to provide the costs of leasing the ships from Turkish power company Karadeniz.

The cabinet agreed in 2012 to lease power-generating vessels that would help provide 700 megawatts of electricity for a period of three years.

Lebanon has long suffered from electricity outages because of shortages at its power plants whose maximum capacity is less than 1,500 megawatts but the country’s actual need exceeds 2,300 megawatts.