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What's in store for Lebanon's nascent oil, gas sector?

There is a new twist in the debate about Lebanon's best strategy for developing its offshore oil and gas resources.
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There is a new debate brewing in the small circles that discuss the best governance practices for oil and gas in Lebanon. While the caveats made Fouad Makhzoumi sound reluctant, he picked a side. The owner of a pipeline design and manufacturing concern, Makhzoumi wears his political ambition on his sleeve. He has run for elected office before and lost, but seems to be gearing up for another battle.

At a live broadcast of a May 26 forum focusing on Lebanon’s oil and gas potential, which he co-organized, Makhzoumi urged attendees and those watching at home to support the country’s oil and gas regulator. Makhzoumi admitted that he first assumed the regulator’s six-member board was staffed with political appointees beholden to the sectarian leaders that chose them. Visiting their offices to see them in action, however, convinced him they were doing serious work, he said. He added that it’s best to just stick with the system in place, which was established nearly six years ago, for now.

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