ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria on Thursday signed a $7 billion energy agreement with a consortium of American, Qatari, and Turkish companies to deliver 5,000 megawatts of electricity, aiming to significantly boost its power supply and meet the long-term goal of energy self-sufficiency. “The agreement stipulates the development of four gas-fired combined cycle power plants, in addition to the first solar power plant in Syria with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts in the south, bringing the total capacity to 5,000 megawatts using American and European technologies,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The consortium is led by Qatar’s UCC Concession Investments and includes Turkey’s Kalyon GES Enerji Yatirimlari and Cengiz Enerji, as well as Power International USA. UCC President Ramez al-Khayyat said, “With those 5,000 megawatts, within three years Syria will be completely self-sufficient in electricity. Currently, the Syrian ministry is working on connecting the electrical grid with neighboring countries so that Syria can export its surplus electricity to other nations.” The signing ceremony was held in Damascus in the presence of US special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack, charge d’affaires at the Embassy of Qatar Khalifa Abdullah Al-Mahmoud Al-Sharif, and Turkish ambassador Burhan Kuroglu. The Foreign Ministry said that the project will be implemented under a build-operate-transfer model that will see the private companies build and operate the facilities before ownership is eventually transferred back to the public. Power purchase agreements are set to begin immediately upon the completion of final terms. The gas plants are expected to be completed within three and a half years, and the solar plant will be operational in under two years. “The next phase ahead of us is gas extraction from pipelines coming from Jordan or from the gas pipeline network between us and Turkey that we are now renovating,” said Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir at the signing ceremony. “This will enable our power stations to operate, and undoubtedly, electricity generation time will also increase.” Syria suffers with severe electricity shortages because of a damaged power grid after years of civil war, fuel shortages, and an economic crisis. The interim government is hopeful that the lifting of international sanctions will help revitalize the economy and boost post-war recovery efforts.
