Qatar has pledged to help revive Lebanon’s struggling economy, committing to rehabilitate the country’s crumbling electricity sector and support future reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon, Lebanese officials said Friday.
QatarEnergy has reached an agreement with France’s TotalEnergies to jointly develop a solar power plant in Lebanon, with Qatar funding, implementing and activating the project entirely at its own cost, placing no financial burden on the Lebanese state.
Lebanon’s state electricity company has long been one of the country’s largest sources of public debt, having racked up losses estimated at roughly $40 billion over recent decades, a drain that has contributed significantly to the broader economic collapse the country has faced since 2019.
Qatar's latest pledge builds on years of assistance to Lebanon, including tens of millions of dollars in support for the Lebanese army since the country's economic meltdown began, positioning Doha as one of Beirut's more consistent sources of external financial backing through a prolonged period of instability.
The pledge comes against a broader backdrop of regional energy disruption tied to the ongoing war between Iran and the US-Israel coalition, which has included closures of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which more than a fifth of global oil trade normally passes, straining energy security and supply chains well beyond Lebanon's borders.
Qatar's commitment to Lebanon's reconstruction, paired with its continued financial support for state institutions, underscores Doha's growing role as a stabilizing force in a region where conflict and economic strain have left several governments reliant on outside support to maintain basic services.
