Beirut, Lebanon; July 18, 2019: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri today received a delegation from GE (NYSE: GE) and the Embassy of the United States, led by the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth H. Richard, and GE’s President & CEO of the Middle East, North Africa & Turkey, Nabil Habayeb. In the meeting, GE reiterated its commitment toward supporting the country and its people in strengthening the power sector, and partnering on infrastructure development plans outlined by the government.
The GE delegation – inclusive of Nabil Habayeb, William Wakileh, President and CEO, GE Iraq and Levant, and Sandra Helayel, Government Relations Director, GCC & Lebanon – provided an overview of the comprehensive solutions the company can offer to support the development of Lebanon’s energy sector, from clean, renewable energy to GE’s waste to energy technologies, to solutions to convert existing simple cycle power plants to combined cycle and help set up efficient, flexible new power plants that can run on gas and liquid fuels. The delegation emphasized that with a strong footprint in the region, its technologies today support the generation of nearly half of the power produced – making it an excellent partner in strengthening Lebanon’s power infrastructure.
Highlighting GE’s commitment to the country and its long-term partnerships, the delegation also discussed the contribution of GE in other sectors including healthcare, with over 3,500 GE Healthcare tech solutions installed in various hospitals across Lebanon.
In his meeting, H.E. Saad al-Hariri said: “The government’s core focus is on enhancing the welfare of the people. We aim to strengthen the power sector of the country and to achieve energy self-sufficiency, and will drive forward our power infrastructure development plans by working with global tech leaders to achieve higher levels of efficiency across all touch-points. We are pleased that GE, like many leading global companies in this sector, is looking forward to participating in the bid process. GE has been a long-term partner in the progress of the country and we are confident that through strong public-private partnerships, backed by advanced technology, we can achieve our goals for the power sector.”
Nabil Habayeb said: “Across the region, we have highlighted our advanced competencies in diverse sectors, including power, healthcare and aviation as a partner in the progress of nations and communities. Lebanon is one of our core markets, where we are committed to supporting the nation in building its power infrastructure. We were delighted to hear the Prime Minister’s clear direction and plan for the electricity sector, and are looking forward to taking part in this crucial process. Along with the government’s strong focus on infrastructure development and sector reforms, we can contribute to accelerating the power generation capacity of the nation through advanced renewable and conventional power technologies, that help achieve high levels of operational efficiency and productivity and can be leveraged by Lebanon for long-term energy security.”
Ambassador Elizabeth H. Richard represented the U.S. Embassy during the meeting, underscoring the United States’ strong support for GE’s forthcoming offer to revitalize Lebanon’s power sector, as GE’s global reputation, industry-leading technologies, and longstanding experience in the region make it an ideal long-term partner for Lebanon.
GE operates across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) and has supported the development of the region’s power sector for more than 80 years. Today, more than 2,450 GE gas and steam turbines are installed by over 360 customers in MENAT and the company’s technologies can generate up to half of the region’s power. GE also has offices in Beirut with over 90 direct and indirect employees.
About GE:
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About GE Power:
GE Power is a world energy leader providing equipment, solutions and services across the energy value chain from generation to consumption. Operating in more than 180 countries, our technology produces a third of the world’s electricity, equips 90 percent of power transmission utilities worldwide, and our software manages more than forty percent of the world’s energy. Through relentless innovation and continuous partnership with our customers, we are developing the energy technologies of the future and improving the power networks we depend on today. For more information please visit www.ge.com/power and follow GE Power on Twitter and on LinkedIn.