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A new 400 megawatt (MW) power line will soon connect Syria with Türkiye, improving the electricity supply in northern Syria, according to Syrian Energy Minister Muhammad al-Bashir.
The announcement was made during his participation in the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit, in a interview with Turkish media outlet.
Minister Bashir highlighted that the ongoing work on the new power line would significantly increase the amount of electricity supplied to Syria.
"We are currently working on increasing the volume of electricity supplied through a new 400 MW line from Türkiye to Syria, as well as through a gas pipeline from Kilis in Türkiye to Aleppo," he said in an exclusive interview with Turkish media outlet Takvim.
The new power line and gas pipeline are part of broader efforts to improve energy infrastructure in Syria, particularly in major cities like Aleppo.
Minister Bashir further discussed the construction of a gas pipeline from Türkiye to the Syrian city of Aleppo, a city of over 1 million people.
In January, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar confirmed that the pipeline would be essential for the region’s energy needs.
"Aleppo alone requires around 2,000 MW of electricity, but infrastructure, including power lines, must be restored. This will take at least six months," Bayraktar noted. There are also plans for the pipeline to eventually work in reverse, with Syrian gas potentially being sent to Türkiye in the future.
Bashir emphasized the need for comprehensive investment to rebuild Syria’s energy sector after years of war. He mentioned that during Bashar al-Assad's regime, Damascus received only one hour of electricity per day, but now the country can provide up to five hours of electricity daily. The government is working on rehabilitating power plants and aiming to reach a generation capacity of 5,000 MW.
The damage to Syria’s energy infrastructure, caused by years of conflict, combined with Western sanctions, has resulted in a severe electricity shortage across the country. Diesel generators are commonly used in many areas due to frequent power outages.
"We need new investment projects in Syria," said Bashir, who also noted that work on solar and wind energy projects would be completed by next weekend. "We are accelerating new investment projects, especially in renewable energy."
Bashir made a call for international companies to invest in Syria’s energy sector, saying, "I am calling on the world from here. Our hope is that they come and invest in us." He praised Türkiye for its continued support, highlighting that Türkiye has been providing electricity to northern Syria even during the conflict.
"Türkiye has always been with us. During the war, Türkiye supplied electricity to the north of Syria, whether in the Operation Euphrates Shield region or in Idlib," Bashir concluded.
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