Lebanon’s Clean Energy Future: Connecting Projects and Partners at European Hydrogen Week
Local solutions and the partnerships needed to scale
Reliable electricity and affordable energy are essential to Lebanon’s economic future. In a MED-GEM Network podcast recorded at European Hydrogen Week, diplomatic and business representatives discussed the solutions they are developing—and the partners they need to take them further.
Recorded in Brussels on 27 October 2026, alongside the EU–MENA B2B matchmaking jointly organised by MED-GEM and the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ABLCC), the conversation brought together perspectives from industrial development, engineering, village microgrids and offshore renewable energy.
Hosted by Frank Wouters, the discussion explored a practical question: how can local expertise and promising projects translate into cleaner, more dependable electricity for communities and businesses?
🎧 Listen to Lebanon’s Clean Energy Future on Spotify
▶️ Watch the full episode on YouTube
Frank Wouters with Lebanese diplomatic and business representatives during the recording at European Hydrogen Week, Brussels, 27 October 2026.
Clean energy starts with economic needs
For the participants, the energy transition is closely connected to everyday priorities: keeping businesses running, supporting employment and providing communities with reliable electricity.
H.E. Walid Haidar, Ambassador of Lebanon to the EU and Belgium, described European Hydrogen Week as an opportunity for Lebanese companies to discover technologies, meet counterparts and develop partnerships.
The projects discussed differed in scale and maturity. Their needs nevertheless converged around finance, technical expertise and the capacity to deliver.
Tripoli: powering industrial development
For Hassan Dennaoui, Chairman of the Tripoli Special Economic Zone, cleaner energy is part of creating an attractive location for industrial and logistics activities.
He explained that the zone is seeking technologies and development partners capable of integrating cleaner power into its infrastructure. Solar generation across industrial buildings and warehouses is among the options being considered.
Environmental performance, security of supply and electricity costs all influence these choices. Meeting those needs requires cooperation between infrastructure developers, energy specialists, investors and future industrial users.
Microgrids: taking a local model further
Philippe El Khoury, CEO of ME Green, presented MiGrid, a decentralised solution combining renewable generation, batteries and digital energy management. According to El Khoury, the model had been operating in a Lebanese village for three years at the time of the recording.
He described its purpose in both economic and energy terms: providing cleaner, more affordable electricity while supporting local activity and helping residents remain in their communities.
The next challenge is expansion. ME Green is seeking investors and development finance partners to support replication, with an ambition to reach 150 villages in Lebanon.
▶️ Watch the interview with Philippe El Khoury, CEO of ME Green
SACOTEL and Sacotel ZNSHINE: building delivery capacity
Riccardo Hosri, CEO of SACOTEL, and Joumana Hosri Haji, CEO of Sacotel ZNSHINE, developed this theme further.
Riccardo Hosri highlighted the importance of international partnerships for cleaner electricity solutions that serve consumers, communities and energy businesses.
Joumana Hosri Haji described Sacotel ZNSHINE’s development in renewable energy equipment, from solar modules to battery storage and other technologies. She also outlined its work with ME Green to help replicate the village microgrid model.
Their contributions underlined what expansion involves: equipment supply, implementation capacity and financing arrangements that can support delivery across multiple locations.
▶️ Watch the interview with Joumana Hosri Haji, CEO of Sacotel ZNSHINE
BUTEC: connecting engineering and investment
Charbel Abi Younes, Energy Director at BUTEC, brought the perspective of a company working across engineering, procurement, construction and industrial projects.
He discussed BUTEC’s renewable energy and storage experience, including its activities in African markets. In Brussels, the company was seeking financial partners for project development and insights into emerging hydrogen technologies.
His contribution connected project ambitions with the capabilities needed to implement them: engineering, construction, operation and maintenance. It also showed how a hydrogen-focused event can create opportunities across solar, storage and industrial energy systems.
Sea Rings: an offshore approach
Sumer Daou, CEO of Floating Hydrogen Ports, presented Sea Rings, a floating platform concept combining wind, solar and wave energy with hydrogen production and aquaculture.
He described an approach intended to combine several renewable sources and bring energy and food production into a shared offshore setting. Potential hydrogen buyers and regional development partners are among the priorities he identified.
Floating Hydrogen Ports contributed a guest pitch to the B2B programme. In the podcast, Daou described the company’s Greek base and its connections to Lebanese maritime expertise, adding a cross-border perspective to the discussion.
▶️ Watch the interview with Sumer Daou, CEO of Floating Hydrogen Ports
Partnerships can reach beyond Lebanon
Ambassador Haidar closed the conversation by highlighting the international networks of Lebanese businesses, including their presence in Africa and the Gulf.
For potential partners, these relationships extend the relevance of a Lebanese project beyond its domestic market. Cooperation can also create opportunities to exchange expertise, enter additional markets or adapt solutions to other communities and industries.
The discussion offered both an account of Lebanon’s immediate energy needs and an introduction to companies whose experience and networks reach further.
From discussion to follow-up
The podcast was recorded alongside the EU–MENA B2B matchmaking jointly organised by MED-GEM Network and the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ABLCC).
On 27–28 October, the programme brought 16 selected MENA projects together with more than 50 European and international organisations. As detailed in EU–MENA matchmaking in Brussels: 186 meetings and the next steps, the results report records 186 meetings held, with a follow-up call or meeting agreed in 73 cases.
MED-GEM Network and ABLCC are jointly following up 24 requested introductions and online meetings. Proposed activities also include a financing and investment-readiness workshop for the 17 selected projects and a knowledge-sharing meeting between the Tripoli Special Economic Zone in Lebanon and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone in Jordan.
These next steps address the needs expressed throughout the podcast: appropriate finance, practical knowledge and partners who can help projects move forward.
Listen, watch and explore
The full conversation
Meet the people behind the projects
Watch the individual interviews recorded at the EU–MENA B2B matchmaking event, co-organised by MED-GEM Network and ABLCC:
- Joumana Hosri Haji — CEO, Sacotel ZNSHINE
- Philippe El Khoury — CEO, ME Green
- Sumer Daou — CEO, Floating Hydrogen Ports
Explore the full playlist of interviews with project promoters and European partners.
From conversations to cooperation
Read the event results: EU–MENA matchmaking in Brussels — 186 meetings and the next steps.
Watch Partners with Sun and SNEP sign an agreement at the event.
The event in pictures
- 26 October — Opening day
- 27 October, morning — Finance and investment partners
- 27 October, afternoon — Buyers, offtakers and market partners
- Reception hosted by ABLCC
- 28 October, morning — Technology, equipment and specialist partners
- 28 October, afternoon — Engineering, construction and operating partners
Project descriptions and development ambitions reflect the participants’ contributions to the discussion recorded on 27 October 2026.
Photo courtesy of MED-GEM Network.
MED-GEM Network is funded by the European Union and implemented by GIZ International Services. The EU–MENA B2B matchmaking was jointly organised by MED-GEM Network and the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce (ABLCC).