Damascus, Syria – Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said Friday Damascus and Ankara had reached a deal for Turkey to supply natural gas to the war-torn country via a pipeline in the north.
Syria’s Islamist authorities, who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, are seeking to rebuild the country’s infrastructure and economy after almost 14 years of civil war.
The conflict badly damaged Syria’s power infrastructure, leading to cuts that can last for more than 20 hours a day.
Bayraktar told the private CNN-Turk broadcaster late Thursday that “we will provide natural gas to Syria from Kilis within the next three months.”
“This gas will be used in electricity generation at the natural gas power plant in Aleppo,” he said, confirming an expected daily flow of six million cubic metres.
In March, Qatar said it had begun funding gas supplies to Syria from Jordan in a move aimed at addressing electricity production shortages and improving infrastructure.
That announcement said the initiative was set to generate up to 400 megawatts of electricity daily in the first phase, with production capacity to gradually increase at the Deir Ali station southeast of Damascus.
Both Turkey and Qatar have close ties with Syria’s transitional government and were the first two countries to reopen their embassies in Damascus after Assad’s ouster.
Both have also urged the lifting of sanctions on Syria.
In January, Syria’s electricity chief said two power ships were being sent from Turkey and Qatar to increase supply after the United States eased sanctions, allowing fuel and electricity donations to Syria for six months.
Last month, Britain said it was lifting energy production sector sanctions, a move Damascus said would “directly contribute to improving” Syrians’ living conditions.
