SDG 7

Thermal energy generation still predominates in Lebanon, but it is moving towards increasing its energy generation from renewable sources. Ensuring reliable and sustainable access to electricity to all remains a challenge for the country, notwithstanding managing energy’s impact on pollution. In 2017 Lebanon also started planning offshore petroleum resources exploration Law 462/200248 governs the electricity sector. Its main objective is to create an independent regulatory authority for electricity, unbundle Lebanon’s power sector and ultimately privatize production and distribution, in the hope of resolving power shortages. The regulatory authority has not yet been established yet. 

In 2017 the Council of Ministers approved a five-year strategy for the electricity sector, which builds on a previous plan made in 2010. The strategy aims to bridge the electricity generation supply-demand gap, resolve transmission and distribution problems to improve accessibility and reliability, and work on energy efficiency and increasing the share of energy from renewable sources. 

Recently Lebanon has started to license offshore hydrocarbon exploration. Under the 2010 offshore petroleum resources law, the Lebanese Petroleum Administration was established to advise Cabinet and Parliament. In 2017 the Cabinet issued decrees for the delineation of Lebanon’s maritime borders, and the tendering and award process for hydrocarbon exploration.