POWER PRODUCERS
BIDDERS TO APPLY
FOR CLASSIFICATION
The Ministry of Energy and
Water (MoEW) has called upon
companies seeking to partici-
pate in large scale conventional
power projects as indepen-
dent power producers (IPPs)
to apply for classification as
lead developers or consortium
members. A lead developer
is defined as a firm that will
hold the largest share in a spe-
cial purpose company founded
for the implementation of the
project and that will act as the
managing member in the new
company. A consortium mem-
ber is defined as a firm with an
ownership share of less than 50
percent. The MoEW said that
this will be the first step to
allow companies to participate
in the tender process for the
projects and that it will release
requests for proposals in the
near future. The IPPs that win
the tender will be involved in
activities such as design, engi-
neering, construction, financ-
ing, testing, commissioning,
operation and maintenance
of conventional power plants.
They will also be engaged in
selling electrical energy to the
MoEW under a long term power
purchase agreement (PPA). The
MoEW will review and evaluate
the applications within four
weeks and will inform the ap-
plicants of the results.
L0819-TECHNOLOGICAL
INDUSTRIAL ZONE
AT SIBLINE
The Ministry of Industry (MoI)
has launched preliminary stud-
ies for the construction of a
technological industrial city
in Sibline. The Investment
and Development Authority
of Lebanon (IDAL) finalized
a market study to discover if
there is enough potential to
launch the project. IDAL stud-
ied the region’s ability to access
the market, raw materials,
and human resources. IDAL’s
results showed that there is
large potential for establish-
ing a zone for high-tech in-
dustries producing products
related to construction such as
controllers and elevator boards,
among others. “Smart build-
ings are growing as a trend
and there is large need for
local high-tech industries to
meet the demand,” according
to IDAL. The total space of the
site is around 600,000 square
meters (m^2 ), according to IDAL.
The land will be provided by
the Municipality of Sibline. The
city will be equipped with the
required infrastructure such
as roads, power generators,
and water treatment systems,
and it will be split into several
plots. Manufacturers will build
their own production facilities
inside the zone. The cost of
equipping the industrial land
is $20-$25 per m^2 , according to
MoI estimates. Approximately$15 million will be needed for
the project. The study was sub-
mitted to the MoI, which will
negotiate with international
investors to finance the project.
According to MoI, Chinese in-
vestors have previously shown
interest in investing in local
industrial zones.
L0819-NATIONAL PROJECT TO
PROMOTE HEAT PUMPS
The Lebanese Centre for En-
ergy Conservation (LCEC) has
launched a national project
to introduce heat pump tech-
nology on a large scale to the
local market, specifically for
space and water heating. A
heat pump converts ambient
energy from the air, water, or
the ground into energy used
in air conditioning and for
heating water. It provides sig-
nificant energy savings as it
can produce up to four times
more energy than the electric-
ity used in operating it. Those
who want to install heat pumps
in residential or commercial
buildings can obtain soft loans
under the National Energy Ef-
ficiency and Renewable Energy
Action (NEEREA) initiative at
an interest rate of 2.25 percent.The interest subsidy is part
of the Central Bank’s annual
stimulus package, said Pierre
El Khoury, Director General of
the LCEC. The loan tenure must
not exceed 14 years. In addition
to the grant, the Italian Minis-
try for the Environment, Land
and Sea will offer grants that
cover up to 30 percent of the in-
vestment costs of Italian-made
heat pump systems. A heat
pump can be part of a hybrid
system that could include an-
other heating device such as an
electrical heater or a gas boiler.
The system is usually equipped
with an electrical back-up
heater. It can heat a hot water
tank up to approximately 55 °C.
Khoury said that the LCEC will
channel the transfer of Ital-
ian technological knowhow in
this field to the local market.
He said that installing heat
pumps requires skilled per-
sonnel and is an engineering
exercise. The National Heat
Pumps Project will also include
setting up a test laboratory
for testing heat pump systems
and an energy performance
monitoring program, as well as
creating national standards for
product testing.
L0819-ON OUR WEBSITE: More information is available by typing the numbers at the end of news stories into the reference finder on our home pageIN BRIEF
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Provided by10 LEBANON OPPORTUNITIES, AUGUST 2019