BEIRUT, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese caretaker Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil said on Wednesday that the country will start its first oil and gas exploration in the second half of 2019.
"We are also working on launching the second off-shore licensing round in early 2019, not to forget that we succeeded in approving the oil and gas transparency law two days ago," Abi Khalil was quoted by Lebanon Debate, a local news agency, as saying.
His remarks came during the 2018 edition of International Beirut Energy Forum which aimed at discussing the latest trends in oil and gas sector.
According to the minister, his ministry and the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation are working together to study the possibility of increasing electricity generation from renewable energy, with a yield of 767 kilotons in 2020 to 3,000 kilotons in 2030.
"This is a very big challenge but it is not bigger than our ambitions," he said.
Abi Khalil said the energy ministry has signed three contracts over 20 years for the production of wind energy.
Lebanon will be producing 331 MW of water energy in 2020, he added.
