Fireworks illuminating the skies of Zouk and Lebanon marked the official inauguration of the Karadeniz Holding's KARADENIZ POWERSHIP FATMAGÜL SULTAN, which is now finally connected to the Lebanese grid and supplying energy. This celebratory event was held on site the Zouk power plant on April 4th, 2013 where the ship is docked. The ceremony witnessed the presence of His Excellency Mr. Gebran Bassil, Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water; Mr. Kamal Hayek, the General Director of EDL; His Excellency Mr. Inan Ozyildiz, the Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon; as well as the CEO of Karadeniz Holding Mr. Orhan Remzi Karadeniz, alongside media representatives, public figures, and special guests of both Karadeniz Holding and the Ministry of Energy and Water.
Mr. Kamal Hayek, General Manager of EDL explained: "The launch of Fatmagul Sultan operations in Lebanon will augment electricity supply by at least two hours. This will go beyond three hours after the second ship arrives around June. The improvement in electricity supply was felt by all Lebanese citizens as the arrival of the ships will ease the summer brunt where the power demand will reach 3,000 MW. Karadeniz has provided a full report on the ship's ecological footprint; this shows how integral to project is respecting worldwide environmental practices."
In his word delivered during the ceremony Mr. Karadeniz said, "This evening is a tribute to a brighter future for the people of our region. A series of competitive bidding processes, technical and commercial studies and preparations have marked this journey and we are here today in front of you, in front of the people of Lebanon and Turkey, proudly delivering 188 MWs of electricity, weeks ahead of our contractual schedule."
He added: "As we are all aware, electricity has become the lifeblood of our societies. In every new location, we provide electricity to millions of people and open new doors for employment by hiring local talent to work on our ships and contribute to the local economy. I would like to thank the Lebanese government in particular, His Excellency Minister Bassil, and all of our Lebanese partners, including the GM of EDL Mr. Kamal Hayek for without their support our alliance wouldn't have borne its fruits."
In his speech, His Excellency Mr. Inan Ozyildiz said, "This giant project is a clear example of the expanding cooperation between Turkey and Lebanon in the field of energy. I believe there is still a huge potential to tap. I am continuously encouraging Turkish companies to undertake further projects and I believe that the Karadeniz Energy will set a very solid example to this end."
On the occasion of the ship's launch, his Excellency Minister Gebran Bassil said:" The Turkish powerships are part of the Electricity Sector policy paper which was approved by the government unanimously. The ships do not represent an ultimate solution to the electricity problem, but a three-year temporary solution to allow the rehabilitation of Jiyeh and Zouk power plants. The Lebanese citizen will have 24/24 daily electricity supply if the paper's clauses were implemented by the year 2015."
Bassil again stated: "The project has witnessed many political, logistic and financial obstacles, but all these challenges didn't prevent it to be accomplished, when a governmental committee was established by PM Najib Mikati to negotiate with the companies which have submitted their offers, and Karadeniz was chosen according to the set conditions."
He concluded: "We congratulate the Lebanese people as the ship starts generating power several weeks before the stipulated contractual deadline and it is now completely linked to the Lebanese grid where it will be providing 188 MW. The second ship will arrive before the 12th of June and overall power capacity produced by the Turkish powerships will reach 270 MW."
KARADENIZ POWERSHIP FATMAGÜL SULTAN the sixth vessel in the fast growing Karadeniz Powerships Fleet sailed to Beirut under the "Power of Friendship" project. The latter is an innovative product with its design, precise engineering, construction process, and is now a worldwide-recognized brand. Powerships are fast track, stand-alone utility size solutions for medium term power generating needs. It is worth mentioning that the 'Power of Friendship' project has maintained the highest level of international industry standards including environmental practices making the Powership more Eco friendly than any power plant in Lebanon.
Karadeniz Holding was founded in 1948 in Istanbul, entered the energy sector in 1996, and established Karadeniz Energy Group. One of Karadeniz many missions are its two powerships in Lebanon; besides Karadeniz Powership Fatmagül Sultan which started its operations supporting the Zouk's Thermal Plant, a second ship will be ready and operational by June and will be docked facing Jiyeh Power Plant. Karadeniz is setting up the mooring site in front of the Plant and all preparations are underway to begin the power production as per the stipulated deadline.
