On 13 September, the first batch of gasoil under a convoluted swap arrangement with Iraq arrived at Lebanon’s 460MW Deir Ammar CCGT power plant. The Kriti Episkopi delivered the 268,000-barrel gasoil cargo according to data intelligence firm Kpler. Nearly simultaneously, Iranian-supplied diesel began to arrive in Lebanon on trucks from Syria in a development which is unlikely to go down well in the US.
Regardless of the mechanism, these cargoes are a vital lifeline for the embattled Mediterranean state which is suffering from an all-encompassing political and economic catastrophe. State power firm Électricité du Liban (EdL) is struggling to supply the country with any electricity (MEES, 20 August). Resolving this is just one of the many critical issues for the newly appointed government (MEES, 17 September). (CONTINUED - 776 WORDS)
