Türkiye plans to deliver 6 million cubic meters (mcm) of natural gas per day to Syria within the next three months to help generate electricity in the war-torn country, according to Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
The natural gas, projected to reach 2 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually, will generate electricity in Syria, Bayraktar said during an interview with Turkish news channel CNN Türk late on Thursday.
He said the 6 mcm of gas per day will be delivered via pipeline from Türkiye’s southeastern Kilis province to a natural gas power plant in Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo, where it will generate electricity.
“We have made rapid progress in Syria because our natural gas line has already extended to Kilis, near the Syrian border,” he added. “We will effectively supply fuel to the gas power plants there.”
Bayraktar also noted that efforts have begun to supply electricity directly to Syria alongside natural gas. Türkiye is currently providing about 200 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Aleppo and has completed the necessary permitting procedures for further exports, the Turkish minister added.
“We plan to increase this by an additional 500 megawatts, aiming to reach between 700 and 800 megawatts of electricity exports in the coming months,” he explained.
Bayraktar noted that 13 years of war in Syria have severely damaged the country’s infrastructure.
Noting that Syria’s new energy minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, recently made his first foreign visit to Türkiye and highlighted Syria’s dire energy needs, Bayraktar said, “During our bilateral meeting, the minister told me, ‘I need 10,000 megawatts for Syria, but I can only generate 1,700 megawatts at the moment.'”
“Wherever you go in Syria today, you’ll see generators in front of every home. People are trying to generate power in a mobile way. So, our contribution is significant,” he added.
He noted the importance of Türkiye’s energy exports to Syria and also said that Syria’s oil, gas and mineral resources “must quickly be brought into the economy to meet its needs.”
Following the fall of the former regime of Bashar Assad, Türkiye has pledged to support the recovery of infrastructure destroyed by years of civil war.
In the interview, the minister also evaluated other energy-related developments, including activities in Somalia, recent power outages in parts of Europe, and cooperation with Iraq, among others.
He also highlighted Türkiye’s role in energy diplomacy, mentioning the recent summit in Istanbul, and noting the participation from 14 countries.
“This shows us that Türkiye plays a central role in energy. Türkiye is a hub for three reasons: first, its geographical location; second, its economic size; and third, its massive infrastructure investments,” he said.
Iraq relations
Regarding relations with Iraq, the minister said it is a country with which Türkiye can collaborate in every field.
“In energy, we focus on three main areas: oil production, exporting natural gas to power plants in Iraq and a strong cooperation in electricity. We will further enhance this collaboration, as energy is at the core of these relations,” he noted.
He also recalled that there has been no flow from the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline for 19 months, while also pointing to the importance of the Development Road project. “The information we received from Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammad S. Al Sudani and his team is that they still need some time. There is a disagreement between the production companies and Baghdad. The capacity of this line is 1.5 million barrels. This means an annual oil trade of $30 billion. The Development Road can become an energy road,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier on Thursday, after meeting Al Sudani in Ankara, that the two countries wanted to take rapid steps on resuming oil flows from the pipeline.
Oil flow from Iraq to Ceyhan Port ceased on March 25, 2023, following the arbitration ruling by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) concerning oil exports between Türkiye and Iraq.
Türkiye has said it is ready to resume operations, but talks to do so hit a snag in March over payments and contracts.
Bayraktar also touched upon domestic production, mentioning that oil output from Gabar has reached 81,000 barrels. “We are approaching the highest levels. We have a little more to go, we think it will reach 90,000 to 100,000,” he noted.
Commenting on the activities in the Black Sea, Bayraktar said that the aim is to reach 20 million cubic meters of production in 13-14 months and that work continues there to make discoveries.
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