Thread by @NoamRaydan

#Lebanon: Guess it’s time for a thread on Lebanon’s energy imports sector due to some misinformation.

1)Oil tankers in general have never stopped calling on Lebanon. Tankers laden with fuel oil ( for power generation), gasoil/diesel, gasoline, and LPG (cooking gas). Lebanon is not under "siege" as some continue to say without offering solid data.

2)The problem is the financial crisis that has made it difficult to pay for oil imports whether those for power generation ( EDL) for example or the private sector (gasoline). But some tankers are waiting more than others. Some are offloading in a short period.

3) Portraying Lebanon as a country that needs the help of a western or eastern oil supplier to import one tanker is untrue. Any official that claims so needs to provide data that Lebanon is not receiving its oil requirements.

4)As I type this tweet, there are at least 3 oil tankers in Beirut, two off Jiyeh— that include 1 that has had to wait for ~ 1 month to charge,&2 off Tripoli. At least 2 are signaling for Beirut (heading to Beirut), according to @MarineTraffic

5) Had Lebanon been « under siege » we would not be seeing all those tankers. If there’s a different meaning for « under siege » then I’m ready to correct myself.

6) Re statements that "2 refineries can be built in Zahrani". For those who don't know: The topic of rebuilding refineries/rehabilitating old ones was raised in 1991, 2000, 2001. #Lebanon was still talking about this in 2005 with Kuwait, and Qatar in 2006. Nothing happened.

Below is a satellite image of the inoperable and rust-covered Zahrani refinery. @planet

7)Those who want to fix all the energy sector problems now had many opportunities in the past, but did nothing.

8-a)Building a modern refinery that addresses the oil products needs of #Lebanon does not happen in a few months. Move country to fiscal stability first. And you cannot build a refinery of 20k bpd or 30k bpd like the old ones. Domestic market needs have changed since 1980s.

8-b) How can it be said that « there’s a company that can build the refinery »? Like it or not, there’s a tender process that needs to take place and the Tenders Board needs to have a say in it. Risks factors are very high in Lebanon now, and investors will shy away.

9) It is true that strong government is absent, but this does not mean that any political group can take charge of Lebanon's imports. The public oil infrastructure is under the charge of the government. Otherwise, let the laws be changed and new decrees be issued.

10) If any group wants to import on its own, then what infrastructure are they going to use? What tanks are they going to use to store the oil, what pipelines to move the oil from tanker to storage? I hope the Directorate General of Oil is keeping an eye on this issue. #Lebanon

11) Any petroleum product Lebanon imports should have specifications that meet standards that are supposed to be respected in Lebanon. Some officials have been speaking as if all oil products are the same and can be used in Lebanon.

12) Some officials are spreading misinformation, some local media outlets are carrying it. Ordinary Lebanese citizens have enough on their plates& cannot think of how the oil industry works. Prioritize accuracy over notifications and fast publishing/tweeting.