Damascus, Syria – Syria is on the verge of signing a new agreement with Turkey to import electricity and natural gas, marking a notable development in the thawing economic relations between the two countries, Syria’s transitional energy minister announced Sunday.
Speaking in Damascus, Minister of Energy Mohammad al-Bashir said the deal includes the import of 400-kilovolt electricity from Turkey to Syria and the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Kilis in Turkey’s Gaziantep province to Aleppo in northern Syria.
The electricity transmission line, which will carry up to 80 megawatts, is set to connect the Turkish city of Reyhanli with Harem, a town in Idlib province. The power will be delivered through a Turkish-side conversion station, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
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Al-Bashir added that the natural gas pipeline, once operational, would supply up to six million cubic meters of gas per day to Syrian power plants, a substantial boost to the country’s strained electricity infrastructure.
Beyond immediate energy needs, discussions with Turkish officials have extended to potential mining operations in Syria, including extraction of strategic minerals like phosphate and lithium. Talks also reportedly touched on the possibility of offshore natural gas exploration in Syria’s territorial waters.
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SANA reported that the minister called on Turkish companies to invest in Syria’s energy sector, emphasizing open opportunities in oil and gas exploration, refining, power plant rehabilitation, and rebuilding electrical infrastructure.
January 27, Turkish Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said Syria’s transitional government had lowered customs tariffs on 269 Turkish goods after disruptions in trade routes. Days earlier, Ankara and Damascus reached a bilateral agreement to revive economic and trade cooperation, including in agriculture, transit logistics, industrial products, and contracting.
