Lebanon Reviews Energy Sector Projects with UNDP

Beirut, October 31 (KUNA) -- Lebanon and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reviewed on Saturday the programme’s activities in the energy sector, funded by the European Union, Germany, Spain, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, and Belgium. The Lebanese Ministry of Finance said in a statement that this review took place during a meeting held by Finance Minister Yassin Jaber with a UNDP delegation comprising Vahakn Kpakyian, Director of the Green and Inclusive Development Programme; Hassan Harjli, Project Director and Energy Affairs Advisor; and Asaf Qadih, Renewable Energy Projects Engineer.

The statement clarified that Minister Jaber discussed with the delegation the programme’s work in the energy sector, highlighting investments in solar energy and energy efficiency in several public facilities, including government hospitals, schools, courthouses, army and Internal Security Forces centers, and the Lebanese University. The discussion addressed the challenges facing the sustainability of these investments, particularly operation and maintenance after the warranty period expires, weak facility management, and the need to change energy consumption culture in public administrations. It also emphasized the importance of these investments in generating significant annual savings for the state treasury.

The minister noted that the delegation proposed that the Ministry of Finance play a pivotal role by launching a national program to reduce energy costs in the public sector, adopting a life-cycle cost criterion in public procurement instead of the lowest-price criterion, and establishing a mechanism to reinvest realized savings into new projects and maintenance. The delegation also called for supporting the Lebanese Green Investment Fund to stimulate private-sector financing.

For his part, Minister Jaber stressed the importance of basing efforts on the existing reality, including the widespread adoption of solar energy in homes and buildings, and using this reality as a baseline for periodic and documented assessment of improvements. He affirmed the necessity of conducting “energy audits” and identifying base loads in public buildings before any investment, noting the possibility of launching a program in this framework in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office, which would generate savings for the treasury and create jobs. (End) A.Y.B. / R.J.