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Syria needs about $831 million each month to finance imports of crude oil and petroleum products as domestic production falls well short of demand, Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said during a session of the People’s Assembly.
Bashir said the newly established Energy Ministry inherited serious problems from the previous government and outlined the country’s current energy supply needs.
He said the gap between domestic energy demand and production had created a major crisis, forcing Syria at times to use directly negotiated supply contracts amid wider pressures in global energy markets.
Syria requires about 12 million liters of diesel and 8 million liters of gasoline each day, Bashir said.
Power plants and the industrial sector consume an average of 8,500 tons of fuel daily, while household cooking gas demand stands at about 1,300 tons per day.
Local oil production is about 112,000 barrels per day, leaving a daily shortfall of around 200,000 barrels that authorities are seeking to cover through imports.
Bashir said Syria’s refining capacity is about 150,000 barrels per day and that the country imports an average of 150,000 barrels of refined petroleum products daily.
He added that the number of vehicles in Syria has risen from 2.5 million to 3.6 million, significantly increasing fuel demand.
Domestic natural gas production is also insufficient to meet demand, Bashir said.
Syria imports about 6.3 million cubic meters of gas per day from Azerbaijan and from a liquefied natural gas vessel stationed at Jordan’s Aqaba Port.
The monthly cost of those gas imports is about $140 million, he said.
Bashir added that Syria has 78 oil fields and that work is underway to rehabilitate energy infrastructure.
Some wells have been temporarily shut because of security risks, he said.
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