Companies called to build electricity wind farm

60MW project slated for early 2013

The Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) will issue an 'expression of interest' on Monday for a project to build a wind farm to generate electricity, said minister of electricity and water, Gebran Bassil. The plan is for the project to generate 60MW of electricity that would then be sold to Électricité Du Liban (EDL). Interested companies should submit their applications within two weeks from the announcement.

Albert Khoury, chairman of Hawa Akkar, a firm specialised in wind energy projects, said the ministry has taken a bold initiative by inviting private ventures. “We will certainly apply for the project,” he said.

Hawa Akkar had earlier proposed building a 60MW wind farm in Akkar. The company said that the project can be up and running within 18 months from getting the government’s approval.
According to Khoury, wind energy enterprises should be allowed to produce a lot more than 60MW: “There is potential to produce some 1,500MW of energy from wind, according to the Wind Atlas (study published in 2011).”

The 2010 electricity plan indicated that by 2013 private sector ventures should be producing between 60 MW and 100 MW through wind power.

Bassil said the next step, before the launch of the international bid for the project, is to get the Cabinet’s approval. “The winning firm will sell its output to the EDL through a contract similar to that signed with the power ships,” Bassil said. He said the contract for the project could be signed by early 2013.