Lebanon said Monday it plans to purchase natural gas from Egypt, seeking to reduce its reliance on fuel oil for its ageing power plants in a country hamstrung by regular electricity cuts.In 2022, Lebanon signed a deal to import natural gas from Egypt and Jordan via Syria to boost power supply, but the contracts were never implemented due to financing issues and US sanctions on Syria.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The electricity sector has cost Lebanon more than $40 billion since the end of its 1975-1990 civil war, and successive governments have failed to reduce losses, repair crumbling infrastructure or even guarantee regular power bill collections.Residents rely on expensive private generators and solar panels to supplement the unreliable state supply.Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s office said in a statement that the memorandum of understanding between Lebanon and Egypt sought “to meet Lebanon’s needs for natural gas allocated for