Qatar begins supplying Syria with natural gas via Jordan.

Qatar Begins Supplying Syria with Natural Gas to Boost Electricity Supplies

Qatar began supplying natural gas to Syria through Jordan on Thursday to help address electricity shortages. This initiative follows an agreement between the Qatar Fund for Development and the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will oversee the project.

Details of the Initiative

The Qatar Fund for Development announced that the gas supply will generate up to 400 megawatts of electricity daily in the first phase. Production capacity will gradually increase at the Deir Ali plant in Syria. Electricity will be distributed to areas like Damascus, Sweida, Daraa, Quneitra, Homs, Hama, Tartus, Latakia, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor. This will improve services and stabilize affected communities.

Qatar’s Commitment to Ongoing Support

Fahd bin Hamad Al-Sulaiti, director-general of the Qatar Fund for Development, said the initiative is key to addressing Syria’s energy needs. He also highlighted Qatar’s continued support for Syria, which helps strengthen recovery and reconstruction efforts.

Qatari Gas Supplies

Khalifa Abdullah Al-Mahmoud Al-Sharif, Chargé d’Affaires at the Qatari Embassy in Damascus, confirmed that Qatar would provide natural gas to Syria via Jordan for a set period. Syrian Minister of Electricity Omar Shakir added that Qatar will supply Syria with two million cubic meters of gas daily.

Challenges in Syria’s Electricity Sector

Syria has suffered from electricity shortages for years. Most areas only get two to three hours of power daily. The country used to rely on Iranian oil for power, but those supplies stopped after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December.

Qatari gas will flow through a pipeline to the Deir Ali power plant in southern Syria. It will boost electricity supplies by about 400 megawatts. The transitional Syrian government is also working to import energy from Jordan and deploy floating power plants, which have not yet arrived.

Sources:

• Qatar News Agency (QNA)
• Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
• Reuters