Damascus: General Director of the General Company for Transmission and Distribution of Electricity in Syria, Dr. Khaled Abu Di, affirmed to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the support extended by the State of Qatar through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) has constituted one of the foremost pillars in enhancing the operational capacity of Syria’s electricity sector over the past years.
According to Qatar News Agency, the collaboration with Qatar has not been confined solely to grants in the gas sector but has extended beyond to sustained programs aimed at elevating the operational efficiency of the national grid. The first phase of Qatari support involved the provision of 1 million cubic meters of natural gas per day for one month via the gas lines connecting Syria with Jordan, which was utilized directly at the Deir Ali Power Plant south of Damascus, significantly improving electricity supply across various Syrian governorates, Abu Di noted.
He added that the second phase of Qatari support included 3.4 million cubic meters of natural gas per day delivered via the interconnection lines with Turkiye, noting that this quantity was supplied by Azerbaijan with funding from QFFD, capable of generating approximately 500 MW of electricity. Dr. Abu Di pointed out that this production represents roughly 30 percent of the sector’s current total generation capacity, estimated at 2,200 MW, and that thanks to this support, daily electricity supply hours increased from 4-5 hours to 7-8 hours, with minor variations across governorates.
He stressed that collaboration in the electricity sector extends beyond immediate assistance to encompass training programs, technical and consultancy expertise exchange, and mobilization of human and technological capacities, noting that Qatari support continues to evolve in accordance with electricity demand and grid requirements. Regarding the revised electricity tariffs, Dr. Abu Di explained that the Syrian government continues to provide substantial support to citizens, emphasizing that any development of electricity services or improvement in supply levels requires a mechanism for partial recovery of operational costs.
He noted that the first consumption brackets up to 300 kWh per month is subsidized by approximately 60 percent, benefiting all Syrian citizens, while consumption exceeding 300 kWh is billed at 1,400 Syrian pounds per kWh. This mechanism, he outlines, was adopted following a comprehensive study of the economic and living conditions and household income levels to ensure fairness and sustainability in support distribution.
He further elaborated that the distribution network can accommodate the full volume of generated electricity, and that the transmission network and transformer lines can transfer up to 7,000 MW, while generation plants’ operational stability is maintained at around 3,500 MW, with actual production currently at 2,200-2,300 MW due to limited gas and fuel availability. Available gas is divided between 6 million cubic meters daily from Syrian fields and 3.4 million cubic meters from Azerbaijan provided via QFFD, yielding a total of 9.5 million cubic meters capable of generating approximately 1,500 MW, he pointed out.
As for fuel, while local production and imports exist at high prices, the operational capacity of fuel-powered plants is limited, requiring approximately 5,000 tons daily to generate an additional 700-1,000 MW. Dr. Abu Di underscored that additional gas supply is crucial to meet national demand of approximately 6,500 MW, necessitating adequate financing given global gas price surges.
On developmental initiatives, Dr. Abu Di unveiled a major national project to replace traditional meters with prepaid and smart electronic meters, aiming to modernize measurement and monitoring systems in line with global technological standards. The project also addresses technical challenges in distribution networks, meter tampering, loss reduction, and transparency in consumption and billing, he said.
Implementation will occur in phases over three years, with an initial focus on high-density population areas to evaluate technical performance, followed by expansion across other governorates, alongside data center preparation and automated reading systems enabling real-time consumption monitoring and billing control. The project will also involve training Syrian technical personnel to operate and maintain the new meters, ensuring an independent national management of the smart system, reflecting the ministry’s vision to modernize the electricity network, enhance service efficiency, and ensure sector sustainability.
Finally, Abu Di affirmed that Qatar’s grants and the support of Arab fraternal nations have played a pivotal role in strengthening Syria’s national grid to address challenges, highlighting that this ongoing cooperation underscores the importance of Arab integration in supporting vital infrastructure, improving services to citizens, enhancing operational efficiency, and increasing electricity supply hours.