Syria's 'three-phase plan' to address country's debilitating electricity crisis

Syria is suffering severe power shortages worsened in the wake of the collapse of the former regime, which the new administration led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) is scrambling to address.

A three-phase plan has been laid out by the ministry of electricity to address the crisis, which stems from a lack of both fuel supplies and maintenance equipment to undertake repairs to badly damaged power stations.

Syria's electrical grid and power sector have been devastated by years of war and sanctions, which left the country under the now-deposed Assad regime reliant on Iranian fuel supplies and oil purchases from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-held northeast Syria. Since Assad was toppled on 8 December, both Iran and the SDF have halted all fuel exports to the country under the interim authorities.

"A limited number of power generation stations are operating at low capacity due to the halt in fuel supplies from areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, in addition to the suspension of crude oil imports from Iran, which has led to a significant reduction in power generation to extremely low levels," said Khaled Abu Dai, director of the Public Establishment of Electricity for Generation and Transmission at the ministry of electricity.

Meanwhile, western sanctions on Syria are still in place, restricting the country's ability to source oil imports and the materials needed to repair the electricity grid and power stations.

Many of Syria's main power stations had been systematically destroyed by the former regime over the past decade, leading to a major deficit in production capacity.

He highlighted that the shortage of maintenance supplies was a major challenge hindering repairs, especially as there were difficulties importing these materials into Syria.

Some local power stations rely on fuel oil to operate, he said. However, "given that the SDF controls the fuel oil fields, this issue has become a major challenge weighing heavily on citizens, as all aspects of daily life depend significantly on fuel".

Three-phase plan

Abu Dai explained that the ministry has set out a three-phase plan to solve the issue: the first stage, which he referred to as the emergency phase, would seek to carry out urgent maintenance to ensure electricity was delivered to citizens, but rationed in accordance with available supply.

The second phase would see the rebuilding and maintenance of power plants, converter stations, and transmission lines.

Alternative energy projects would also be promoted to increase electricity production and supplies available to citizens.

The third phase would be the development phase, which would seek to achieve Syrian self-sufficiency in electricity and ensure a 24-hour power supply.

Interconnection lines

Regarding the possibility of achieving connecting powerlines with neighbouring countries amid the deterioration of Syria's electricity system, Abu Dai said such infrastructure was badly damaged and needed extensive maintenance.

"One such line is the 'Turkey-Syria' line through Aleppo province, which requires repair on the Syrian side and extensive reconstruction... meanwhile, a large portion of the 'Jordan-Syria' line has been destroyed, and work crews are currently assessing what is required to start maintenance work," he said.

A delegation from the Turkish energy ministry recently visited Damascus to discuss Syria's electricity sector and avenues for mutual cooperation, he added.

Both sides had reviewed its current state and outlined urgent needs, added Abu Dai, and the Turkish side was currently assessing possible avenues to provide support for the rebuilding of Syria's electricity sector.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition