60MW wind farm in Akkar

Private firm to generate, transport, and distribute power

Hawa Akkar, a private firm founded in 2010, will launch a project on May 8 to produce electrical energy from wind. The project involves building a wind farm with windmills that can generate up to 60 MW of electricity in the Northern region of Akkar. 

Hawa Akkar will produce, transfer, and distribute electrical power to end users.

The company said that it has completed a full pre-feasibility study for the project. It cannot, however, initiate the project unless the relevant laws and decrees are passed.

The government’s ambitious electricity plan, adopted in 2010, stated that by 2020, Lebanon should generate 12 percent of its energy from renewable resources. The policy states that by 2013 Lebanon should generate from 60 to 100 MW from wind through private sector ventures. 

A study published by the UNDP in January last year said that wind power could eventually produce at least 1,500 MW of electricity.

Hawa Akkar said that the studies have confirmed that wind energy is competitive when compared with traditional means of electricity production used in the country. The company said that once it receives the government’s approval, the project can be up and running within 18 months.

Hawa Akkar is chaired by its majority shareholder, Albert Khoury. Khoury is deputy general manager at the Electrical Utility of Aley, one of Lebanon’s three privately held electricity distribution companies.