تحولت وزارة الطاقة اللبنانية إلى عبء ثقيل، حيث أصبحت منصبًا لا يرغب أحد في الارتباط به، خاصة بعد الأزمات المتعلقة بملف الكهرباء والشائعات حول الهدر والصفقات المشبوهة، إلى جانب المشكلات المستمرة في قطاعي النفط والغاز.
إصلاح وتطوير قطاع الكهرباء في لبنان واكتشاف احتياطيات النفط والغاز يمكن أن يوفر للدولة اللبنانية موارد مالية كبيرة تُستخدم في تطوير البلاد وشعبها. هذا أمر يدركه الجميع، لكن الخلافات السياسية والنزاعات الصغيرة والسياسات الخاطئة أدت جميعها إلى نتيجة واحدة: لا كهرباء ولا اكتشاف للنفط أو الغاز.
The Ministry Of Energy – Best Candidate!
The Lebanese Ministry of Energy has become a pariah, a position no one wants to be associated with, especially after the struggles with the electricity file and the rumors of waste and corrupt deals, in addition to the ongoing issues with gas and oil.
Improving and developing Lebanon’s electricity sector, and discovering gas and oil reserves, would provide the Lebanese state with significant financial resources that could be used to develop and grow the country and its people. This is something everyone understands, but political disputes, petty squabbles, and misguided policies have all led to a single outcome: no electricity and no discovery of oil or gas.
The pressing question now, as the country embarks on a new phase of governance, is whether the Ministry of Energy can become the most important ministry and the primary driver of Lebanon’s prosperity. The answer to this question is undoubtedly yes, especially if the Ministry of Energy is entrusted to someone with scientific and professional expertise, as well as international and Arab connections that can help Lebanon open up new avenues in the energy sector, particularly renewable energy. Given this reality, there is a need to find a person who possesses all these qualities and is independent of the usual domestic political forces.
In this context, the name of well-known energy expert Roudi Baroudi keeps coming up. With 46 years of experience in the public and private sectors, he has worked in multiple fields, including oil, gas, petrochemicals, energy, energy sector reform, energy security, environment, carbon trading mechanisms, privatization, and infrastructure. He has worked for or with numerous energy companies and consortia from the United States, Europe, and Arab countries, and continues to be an active participant in many conferences, especially those focusing on energy issues in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions.
Baroudi has conducted numerous studies related to the energy sector, and now he has a plan to address Lebanon’s electricity crisis within just three months. He also has prepared a comprehensive and detailed file on Lebanon’s oil and gas wealth, how to exploit it for the benefit of the Lebanese people, and how to attract international companies to invest in the sector. In addition, Baroudi has also documented, in detail, all the core issues relating to the maritime borders among Lebanon, Israel, Syria, and Cyprus, including the legal, diplomatic, and technological tools available for dispute resolution. He has even written a book on this subject, titled “Maritime Disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Way Forward”.
Baroudi is well-known for his studies and files relating to the energy sector, including among numerous senior officials in countries around the world who are involved in this sector. He is in constant contact with several of them to exchange expertise and viewpoints. Many Lebanese officials and political leaders have also received some of these studies and files personally, and have commended the seriousness and professionalism of the work he has done. All that remains for them is to match words with action by putting the right man in the right place.