Talal Abu- Ghazaleh Associates Accomplishes the EU-Funded Project to Support the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC)

 

The project was implemented by the consortium of Aldar Consulting (Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Associates), National Energy Research Center in Jordan, JCP and led by CUB Engineering

BEIRUT -------November 30, 2011----- The EU-funded project “Support to the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC)” closing ceremony was recently held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hamra, Beirut.

The event gathered more than 60 officials representing the different stakeholders and partners of the LCEC, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Water, the European Union, and the Project Administration Office (PAO) at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. The project was implemented by the consortium of Aldar Consulting (Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Associates), National Energy Research Center in Jordan, JCP and led by CUB Engineering.

In his opening note, Mr. Diego Escalona, head of the Operations Section at the Delegation of the European Union said: “Energy services are essential for economic growth and for the improvement of our living standards and the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation is a key actor in these efforts”.

Meanwhile, Mr. Samir El Daher, advisor to the President of the Council of Ministers, highlighted the importance of using alternative and clean resources of energy such as the sun, wind and water that Lebanon is blessed with, which will contribute to reducing the overall energy bill in the country.

Representing the project consortium, Ms. Gihane Haddad Jabbour, General Manager of CUB Engineering, thanked the EU, the PAO and the LCEC for the close collaboration and support provided throughout the implementation of the project.
Mr. Akram Rayess, Tendering Executive Director at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization- Beirut, delivered a presentation which shed light on the energy conservation financial mechanisms proposed by the project.

In the closing note, Mr. Pierre El Khoury, Director of the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), expressed “the appreciation of the Center to the support by the European Union in the framework of this project, thanking all those who contributed to the success of this project. Hoping all these efforts would converge to meeting Lebanon’s national objective of 12% of renewable energy by 2020, LCEC is looking forward for future cooperation with the EU delegation in Lebanon”.

More than 350 representatives of public authorities and private sector stakeholders attended six workshops/seminars on energy-related issues such as thermal standards and building code, the National Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Action (NEEREA), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and Lebanese National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) which was called upon via strategic initiative #6 of the Policy Paper launched by the MEW and approved by the Lebanese Government in June 2010. Funded by the European Union, eight Lebanese public officials and energy experts visited the main energy authorities in three EU member countries namely the Netherlands, France and UK. Participants were introduced to the current best practices in the scope of work of LCEC. In parallel with the above, 6000 copies of two awareness raising brochures were produced and partly disseminated (ongoing) to public and private stakeholders.

For the purpose of further institutionalizing the LCEC, the consulting team reviewed the current energy regulations in Lebanon and in other regional countries. Additionally, the project team assessed the introduction of mandatory standards for thermal insulation to improve the thermal performance of buildings that would lead to energy savings in space heating and cooling. Periodic review and update of NEEAP was conducted to integrate in it the current project’s deliverables. Other topics included energy audit, energy procurement and various energy priority policy issues.
In the financial component of the project, the consulting team conducted a comprehensive study on the importance and efficiency of Solar Water Heating (SWH) in Lebanon compared to conventional electric heaters, and presented economic and technical indicators reflecting the current situation, including economic impact and potential market changes. Furthermore, a detailed analysis was conducted on establishing and operating an Energy Investment Fund that could support innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. It tackled the legal framework of such a fund, potential financing instruments that could be used, sustainability and securing resources, in addition to successful energy fund case studies and examples. The remaining modules in this component were: financing modalities, leasing program, performance contracting and guidance on the implementation of newly developed financing mechanisms.

Overall, during one year of its implementation, this EU-funded project with its three main components, namely legal, financial and capacity building, contributed positively to strengthening the collaboration between LCEC and several public/private key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Environment (MoE), the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL), Orders of Engineers Architects of Beirut and Tripoli, the World Bank and main private banks of Lebanon.