Egypt moves to rehabilitate Lebanon’s gas infrastructure

Egypt signed an agreement Wednesday with Lebanon to rehabilitate its gas pipelines and infrastructure amid ongoing efforts to support the crisis-hit country’s energy sector.

The agreement comes two days after Jordan, Syria and Lebanon announced a plan to cooperate on reviving the Arab Gas Pipeline, a regional energy project linking Egyptian gas supplies to the Levant.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Cabinet, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended the signing ceremony at the government headquarters in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo.

The agreement was signed by Egyptian Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi and Lebanese Energy Minister Joe Saddi.

Madbouly said the deal reflects the outcomes of his visit to Beirut last December and underscores Cairo’s commitment to supporting Lebanon in the energy sector and rehabilitating its infrastructure.

He also stressed Egypt’s support for efforts aimed at ensuring sustainable energy supplies to Lebanon.

The Egyptian and Lebanese ministers later held talks on expanding bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.

Badawi described the agreement as an important step toward strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the oil and natural gas sectors and supporting regional energy security.

Earlier this week, Jordanian Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh announced that Jordan, Syria and Lebanon had reached an agreement on cooperation in natural gas exchange through the Arab Gas Pipeline.

Under the arrangement, Jordan would use its infrastructure to import liquefied natural gas, convert it into natural gas and pump it to Syria and Lebanon through the pipeline, according to Jordan's public broadcaster Al- Mamlaka.

Stretching more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles), the Arab Gas Pipeline was designed to transport Egyptian natural gas to Levant countries and potentially Europe.

The project was largely suspended after 2011 due to the situation in Syria and US sanctions imposed during the rule of Bashar al-Assad before the restrictions were later lifted following Assad’s ouster and the formation of a transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref