Orhan Bey will generate 270MW of electricity Beirut – Georges Chahine The Turkish firm Karadeniz Holding announced on Tuesday that its energy-generating ship, Orhan Bey, has arrived in Lebanon as part of the two countries’ “Power of Friendship” initiative .
The power-producing boat, part of the Karpowership Limited fleet, is the second to be sent to Lebanon from its neighbour-but-one.
The boat will up and running within the next weeks, after being connected to Jiyyeh ?power station, 20 kilometres south Beirut, in partnership with Electricite du Liban (EDL), which will provide fuel for its operation.?
The power boat was sent by Turkey amid an ongoing crisis following the kidnap of two ?Turkish pilots in Lebanon last Friday, by a group demanding the release of nine Lebanese ?Shiite pilgrims in Syria. As a result, extra security measures were put in place in the coastal area, as well as around the first Turkish barge, Fatmagül Sultan, which is connected to Zouk power ?plant, 16 kilometres east of Beirut.?
According to a statement released by Karadeniz Holding on Tuesday, the ships will provide Lebanon with 270 megawatts of electricity over the next three years, under a contract between ?Karpowership (a subsidy of Karadeniz Holding) and Lebanon\'s Energy and Water Ministry.
Fatmagül Sultan, the first boat to arrive as part of the “Power of Friendship” project in March, currently generates 188 megawatts of ?electricity.
The statement added that the energy generated by the two vessels is a ?cheaper and more reliable than electricity from other sources due to the high price of ?fuel worldwide and the efficiency of the ships.