Chinese Government provides a RMB 10 million grant — via a December 2003 ETCA — for the acquisition of 16 services cars and 500 sets of solar water heaters (Linked to Project ID#41006)

On December 15, 2003, the Chinese Government and the Government of Lebanon signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), in which the Chinese Government committed RMB 10 million in grant funding for unspecified purposes. The grant proceeds were ultimately used for the acquisition of service cars for CDR and solar energy heating systems for Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water. The donated solar water heaters were produced by Beijing Tsinghua Solar Co., Ltd.. The donated vehicles were produced by Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. On August 18, 2005, the Chinese Government officially handed over the 16 vehicles and 500 sets of solar water heaters to the Lebanese Government. The two government signed the project handover certificate the same day. Upon receiving the solar water heaters, Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water assigned the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), to install the heaters. Two Chinese solar experts held an intensive training workshop organized by Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water on the use of the heaters in February 2006. The solar water heaters were installed during the third quarter of 2006 in the non-occupied areas of South Lebanon, specifically in the districts of Bint Jbeil, Jezzine, Hasbaya, Sour, Marjeyoun, and Nabatiyeh. During the 2006 Lebanon War (also known as the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War, the July War, the Second Lebanon War), 190 of these solar water heaters were destroyed.

Additional details

1. This project is known as "Technical and Economic Cooperation Projects (Service Cars for CDR and Solar Energy Heating Systems for ministry of energy and water), 2003" in the Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction's (CDR) database. The agreement number is 1054 (see "CDR Funding - Technical and Economic Cooperation Projects (Service Cars for CDR and Solar Energy Heating Systems for ministry of energy and water), 2003"). 2. This project is documented in MOFCOM’s 2004 Commerce Yearbook (中国商务年鉴) and the Almanac of China’s Foreign Economic Relations & Trade (中国对外经济贸易年鉴). 3. As this is an ETCA, which is a financing mechanism specific to China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), AidData has coded MOFCOM as the specific Chinese Government institution responsible for providing this grant. 4. In 2010, China granted 600 sets of solar water heaters and related accessories (see linked project ID#41006). 200 of the 600 solar water heaters were replacements for solar water heaters that were destroyed in a set of Israeli attacks that took place in July 2006 as part of the 2006 Lebanon War.

Number of official sources

5

Number of total sources

10