Lebanon will purchase electricity from Iran

Lebanese Electricity Company decided to purchase electricity from Iran as of April 15. Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati referred to a recent approval by his cabinet regarding purchase of electricity from Iran and the subsequent participation of Lebanon's representative in a multilateral meeting to be attended by representatives from Syria, Iraq, and Iran. 'We do not face any problem concerning purchase of electricity from Iran and we welcome the participation of Iranian companies in Lebanon's projects,' Prime Minister Mikati told IRNA in an exclusive interview. Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Ghazanfar Roknabadi in response to a question about cooperation between Iran and Lebanon in the field of resolving the problem of Lebanon's electricity said that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to expedite the implementation of the clauses of an agreement reached between the two countries. The Lebanese sources also wrote that the Lebanon has begun the purchase of electricity from Iran with the first consignment of 25 megawatts and it will be increased to 100 megawatts. Iran's electricity will be exported to Lebanon via Iraq and Syria, the sources added. They also noted that since Islamic Republic of Iran is facing US-imposed economic and financial sanctions, Lebanon's Electricity Company has received the necessary permits for importing Iran's electricity from Lebanon's Foreign Ministry. Formerly, Prime Minister Mikati and his Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi had reiterated the hiring of ships generating electricity that was eventually forgotten due to being very costly, particularly the hike in global crude oil prices.