Zahrani Oil Installations to operate on solar power

3 MW of power for now, more in the future

A solar power farm will be installed to generate three megawatts (MW) of power at the Zahrani Oil Installations (ZOI).

The project will begin with the installation and generation of 1MW. It will be established on a net surface of 18,000 square meters. Sarkis Hleiss, Director General of Oil Installations, said that the project’s terms of reference are ready for interested companies to participate in a public tender. The solar farm will be erected in the heart of the ZOI.

The ZOI is currently powered by Electricité du Liban (EDL) and private generators. It needs 1.3 million KWh (3.6 MW) of power annually. Joseph Assad, Senior Technical Advisor of the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC) and project partner said: “The project can be easily expanded to more than 3 MW in the future, especially since total available space in ZOI is around 97,000 m2.”

The Oil Installations will fund the project at an estimated cost of $2 million, with expectations that it will break even within three to seven years, said Hleiss.

Two contracts will be signed for the project. The first is for the design, supply, and implementation of the photovoltaic cells connected to the electricity grid in the ZOI, with all associated necessary works. The second is for the operation and maintenance of the cells for a five-year period after their transfer to its owner, ZOI.

Hleiss said: “The Zahrani Oil Installations is keen on using renewable energy and following pollution control policies, to prove the public sector’s capability to preserve energy.” It also has plans to use renewable energy in its Tripoli branch.

ZOI imports fuel oil, gas oil, and Gasoline 92 octane, through the Zahrani terminal, stores them in reservoirs and treats them. It then distributes these derivatives in the local market through distribution companies.