Dr Paul Sullivan is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and senior research associate at the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies
February 09, 2022
It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Lebanon's electricity system today is bankrupt and broken. With people receiving no more than a few hours of uninterrupted power on any given day, supply is nowhere near what they need. It is unreliable, far from resilient and insecure – just the opposite of what a well-functioning system should be. Lebanon’s electricity system is a textbook example of how not to run things. Moreover, it is the lion's share of Lebanon's debt.
Businesses need electricity. Food refrigeration relies on an uninterrupted supply; imagine how much less food wastage there would be if there were no power cuts. Public health would be better, for many medicines need cooling. Clinics and hospitals need electricity for sterilisation, lighting, cooling and heating. Electricity is important for all kinds of critical infrastructure to work, such as water treatment, communications, transportation, petrol stations, banking, finance and government. Try working in an office with no air conditioning or living in a small apartment in the heat of August.
There is no doubt that Lebanon could be a healthier, richer and more hopeful society with a better electricity system. And yet, despite being an obstacle to the country ever reaching its potential, its nefarious neglect and debilitating dysfunction continue.
There are many technical "fixes" to Lebanon's power crisis. There is plenty of potential for solar, wind and geothermal energy. Geothermal is mostly found in the north, but geothermal heat pumps could be set up anywhere in the country. Lebanon has many windy and sunny areas, too. But as the sun does not shine for 24 hours in a day and the wind does not blow all the time, battery systems to back up their energy need to be obtained.
Lebanon can do with hybrid energy systems and microgrids, which are decentralised electricity sources. Geothermal has a base load that can run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Solar and wind energy can be used as intermittent sources that would, nonetheless, need to be backed up by battery systems and microgrids spread across the country. With all these sound renewable ideas, it is possible that local politics and vested interests will get in the way.
Geopolitics, unfortunately, is already getting in the way.
Oil-rich Iran, for instance, seeks to export more of its petroleum products to Lebanon, arranged for by Hezbollah, the Tehran-backed proxy in the country. The US and its Arab allies obviously do not approve. This method has been designed to circumvent the Lebanese government, thereby threatening to further weaken it, while at the same time potentially supplying legitimacy to Hezbollah in the eyes of Lebanon's fuel-starved public.
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The US and its allies, instead, want Lebanon to import natural gas via the Arab Gas Pipeline that originates in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. They are also planning for an improved electricity grid connecting Lebanon with Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Technically, it makes sense for Lebanon to avail of the pipeline and the grid. Nevertheless, these projects don’t come without risks as they become potential targets for nefarious groups, including terror networks. Damaging energy infrastructure – including long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines, lower-voltage distribution lines, control stations and transformers – could be a feature in the future, just as it has been from time to time in the region's past.
Another critical issue is how will a bankrupt Lebanon pay for the construction, maintenance and repairs for its present and future energy systems. At one point, the accumulated cost of subsidising its state power firm amounted to more than 40 per cent of the country's entire debt. Many countries and multinational organisations could chip in. But given its fractious politics and the instability bred from outside – notably by Iran and its proxies – external aid is not a sustainable solution. It will not solve Lebanon's chronic corruption, instability and infighting.
Asking for and getting aid and subsidised fuel sent in from Iraq and Egypt, with the help of the World Bank and others, will, at best, be a short-term fix. At worst, these will further incentivise the corrupt and dysfunctional way business is done in the country.
Fuel tankers block a road in Beirut last month during a general strike by public transport and workers unions over the country's economic crisis. AFP
There is a lot of what economists call a "moral hazard" in constantly bailing the country out to stave off collapse. Unfortunately, the collapse has happened – even as the elites have continued to stay in power. Some of the biggest sources of dysfunction in Lebanon can be found in the corrupt and sectarian behaviour of vested interests in business, government and other institutions. If outside parties were to walk in to manage the risks and losses, what incentive would the political class have to work towards reducing risks and hazards in the future?
Over the long term, therefore, Lebanon needs practical and sustainable energy policies that are rational, with rational prices that allow investments to make sense. Better demand management is important. These policies could be developed eventually to make the systems more sustainable. In the meantime, external subsidies and help would be needed to get the system working – even if it stands to be manipulated by the corrupt.
And while gas, oil and electricity from abroad will meet Lebanon’s immediate requirements, long-term sustainability, reliability and resilience will come from using the energy indigenous to the country: solar, wind and geothermal for a start.
Above all other ideas and quick fixes, however, looms the biggest source of Lebanon's decline: the way things are done. Every problem there seems to begin with corruption and dysfunction within leadership at all levels. Few real solutions can be developed until these are dealt with.
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Uefa Champions League play-off
First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev
Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax
How to wear a kandura
Dos
Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Marital status: Single
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War:an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
