Energy Exports to Syria

They met in Damascus

Minister Bayraktar first met with Syrian Minister of Energy Al-Bashir in Damascus. Following the meeting, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Energy, Mining and Hydrocarbons.

Access to Energy

Making statements to the press after the signing ceremony, Minister Bayraktar stated that they have been in an intensive effort to help Syria get back on its feet with the new administration since December and said, “One of the most important issues for the normalization of life here is access to basic services and energy.”

Three Fold Increase

Bayraktar noted that they have made plans for this and said, “We have short, medium and long-term projects ahead of us. In the short term, in order to meet Syria's electricity needs, we want to triple our current electricity exports and export about a thousand megawatts of electricity in the coming months.”

Gas Exports

Bayraktar said that they are intensifying their efforts to supply gas to power plants operating on natural gas in Syria, and added: “In a very short time, we will start exporting approximately 2 billion cubic meters of gas that will reach Aleppo and Homs, which will contribute an additional 1,200 to 1,300 megawatts to electricity generation here.”

Electricity

Bayraktar said that with these projects, they aim to extend the current electricity supply of a few hours in Syria to half of the day and added: “We are also working intensively on the investments needed in terms of infrastructure, increasing oil and natural gas production, discovering new resources both on land and at sea, and using the economic value to be obtained from these resources in Syria's infrastructure and the reconstruction of Syria.”

Investment and Financing

Emphasizing that with the lifting of the sanctions, a very important investment and financing opportunity will come to Syria, Bayraktar said: “Large international companies that have invested in Syria have expressed to us that they want to invest again. As Türkiye, we are ready to develop projects with our state and private companies and international partnerships for the development of Syria and for the people in Syria to live in much better conditions.”

To be put into service in June

Syrian Minister El-Bashir stated that the natural gas line coming from Kilis will be put into service in June and that Turkish companies will support them in both mining and electricity fields. El-Bashir said that technical delegations will be formed between the two countries and they will work on infrastructure and that they can cooperate not only in energy but also in mining.

Meeting with Shara

Following the press statement, Minister Bayraktar met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara. During the meeting, the activities and new projects in the fields of energy and minerals between the two countries were discussed. 

Framework Agreement

The memorandum of understanding signed by the ministers establishes a framework for the development of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy, mining and hydrocarbons. According to the agreement, cooperation in the fields of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and trade will be strengthened and opportunities for cooperation in the field of energy efficiency will be explored.

Critical Minerals

In addition, opportunities for cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons will be identified, while opportunities for cooperation in the exploration, extraction and processing of rare earth elements and critical minerals will be evaluated.