Türkiye will start providing Syria with natural gas as of Saturday to help the war-torn country generate electricity, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on Wednesday, adding that Azerbaijan would also be involved in the export.
Ankara, which supported opposition forces in Syria throughout the 13-year civil war that ended in December with the ousting of longtime dictator Bashar Assad, has now become one of the new government's main foreign allies while positioning itself to be a major player in the country's reconstruction.
During a visit to Damascus in May, Bayraktar had said Türkiye would provide Syria with 2 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, in addition to 1,000 megawatts of electricity. He had said this month that Azerbaijan's SOCAR may be a partner in the project as well.
"We made a swap agreement with Azerbaijan, and the gas that will come from Azerbaijan will be exported to Aleppo, Syria, via Kilis," a province in southernmost Türkiye near the Syrian border, he told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday.
The pipeline linking Kilis to Aleppo was completed in May, according to the minister.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir provided further details on the supply in a statement on Wednesday.
"Starting August 2, Syria will begin receiving 3.4 million cubic metres of gas from Azerbaijan to Aleppo Governorate via Turkey," al-Bashir said.
He explained that this would contribute to generating some 900 megawatts of electricity and help enhance the stability of the electricity grid in Syria.
Bayraktar said the gas provision would help Syria address its electricity needs, adding that this would be used as fuel in electricity production at the country's existing power plants.
He added that Qatar would also be involved in this in terms of financing, and that ministers from the three countries would mark the start of the gas flow in a ceremony on Saturday.
"With the 6 million cubic metres of gas that we are planning to send there, we will be able to realize 1,200 megawatts of electricity production," Bayraktar said.
Syria's new government is seeking to rebuild the country's economy as the war badly damaged its power infrastructure, leading to cuts that can last for more than 20 hours a day.
"With the natural gas that will be supplied, the goal is to increase the current three to four hours of daily electricity availability to 10 hours, making a positive impact on people's lives," Bayraktar said.
He added that Türkiye is already exporting electricity to northern Syria and plans to boost current deliveries to 280 MW via existing transmission lines.
Efforts are also underway to reactivate the 500 MW Birecik-Aleppo line, which was used in the past.
"The Turkish side of the line is intact. There's major damage on the Syrian side. Once restored, we'll be able to export nearly 900 MW, meeting the needs of around 1.6 million households," Bayraktar said.
He emphasized that the easing of certain international sanctions has paved the way for these projects and highlighted their importance in helping to restore normal life in Syria and support the return of displaced people. (July 30, 2025, Source: https://www.dailysabah.com/business/energy/turkiye-to-begin-providing-natural-gas-to-syria-from-saturday)
TURKEY - SYRIA - Natural Gas - SUPPLIES - IMPORTS - EXPORTS