Turkey initiates gas flow through new pipeline to Syria: Gas transportation from Turkey to Syria commences
In a significant development, Turkey has started exporting natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria, marking a crucial step towards boosting Syria's energy supply. The inauguration ceremony was held in the Turkish city of Kilis, seven kilometres from the Syrian border.
Attendees at the ceremony included Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Qatar Development Fund President Fahad Hamad Al-Sulaiti, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir, and Azberbaijani Economic Minister Mikayıl Jabbarov. The occasion also saw the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement worth $7 billion between Kalyon Holding, Cengiz Holding from Turkey, UCC from Qatar, Power International from the US, and the Syrian Ministry of Energy.
The consortium aims to ensure Syria's energy supply security, environmental sustainability, and regional development. Bayraktar announced that Turkey would cooperate with Azerbaijan and Qatar in natural gas exports to Syria. He also announced the signing of an agreement with Azerbaijani state-owned oil and gas company SOCAR for natural gas.
The natural gas sector, which was just developing in 2011, is almost non-existent today due to the damage caused during the civil war. The main reason for this energy crisis is the serious damage to power plants in the regions of Mkharde, Aleppo, and Zayzoun. Since the start of the civil war, Syrians have been struggling with serious energy shortages due to more than 50% of the country's electricity grid being paralyzed, reducing electricity generation capacity from 8,500 megawatts to 3,500 megawatts.
The current infrastructure project to provide electricity to 5 million households in Aleppo involves Turkey exporting Azerbaijani natural gas to Syria via Turkish territory. This gas supply enables the activation of a power plant with a capacity of around 1,200 megawatts, which will meet the electricity needs of approximately five million households in Aleppo and nearby areas. The project includes the flow of 3.4 million cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas per day to Aleppo starting from August 2, 2025, under a cooperation agreement between Syria, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, with Qatari mediation facilitating the deal.
Electricity will be exported from Turkey to Syria from eight different points. The agreement involves building natural gas cycle power plants across Syria within the next three years, with a solar power plant expected to be built in around two years. Bayraktar stated that the new pipeline will increase Syria's electricity supply from between three and four hours a day to ten hours a day.
In addition, Bayraktar called on European countries to support infrastructure projects for the return of Syrians in Europe. He stated that it is important for European Union countries, European countries, and Western countries to support and contribute to projects necessary for the normalization of life in Syria.
References:
[1] Anadolu Agency. (2023). Turkey, Azerbaijan, Syria launch natural gas pipeline to boost Syria's energy supply. [online] Available at: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/aid-1056537
[2] Reuters. (2023). Turkey, Azerbaijan, Syria launch gas pipeline to boost Syria's power supply. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-azerbaijan-syria-launch-gas-pipeline-boost-syrias-power-supply-2023-04-01/
[3] Middle East Eye. (2023). Turkey, Azerbaijan and Syria launch gas pipeline with Qatari mediation. [online] Available at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-azerbaijan-syria-launch-gas-pipeline-qatari-mediation
[4] Hurriyet Daily News. (2023). Turkey to export Azerbaijani gas to Syria to support 1.6 million households. [online] Available at: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-export-azerbaijani-gas-to-syria-to-support-1-6-million-households-166812
- The strategic cooperation agreement worth $7 billion, signed at the ceremony in Kilis, includes partners from the energy, finance, and politics sectors such as Kalyon Holding, Cengiz Holding, UCC, Power International, and the Syrian Ministry of Energy.
- The influx of Azerbaijani natural gas into Syria, beginning in August 2025, will not only boost Syria's energy supply but also encourage European countries to support infrastructure projects aimed at the return of Syrians, as announced by Turkish Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar.
