The Qatar Fund for Development and the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources have announced they will supply Syria with approximately two million cubic meters of natural gas per day, sufficient to generate some 400 megawatts of electricity.   

Under the deal, financed by the Qatar Fund for Development, liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be transported by ship from Qatar to the Jordanian port of Aqaba, which will convert it into gas suitable for pumping via the Arab Gas Pipeline to Syria’s Deir Ali power station.   

Areas Covered by the Gas-to-Electricity Grant   

In principle, the electricity could be supplied to the whole of Syria’s public electricity grid, which reaches the entire country. However, given technical problems, the main beneficiaries of increased hours of power supply will be Damascus and its rural hinterland (Rif Dimashq), along with Suwayda and Daraa provinces.   

Türkiye has also pledged to supply Syria with 500 MW of electricity, which would primarily impact the north and west of the country, within around three months.   

The Impact on Beneficiaries   

The Qatari aid will have a direct impact on Syria’s electricity sector, enabling the Deir Ali power plant to produce an additional 400 megawatts. This could mean an 50% increase in the electricity supply to Syria’s southern governorates; in areas that currently only receive electricity for four hours a day, this means at least two additional hours a day of power.   

If the extra power were distributed more broadly, to Damascus and Rif Dimashq, Daraa, Quneitra, and Suwayda, the grant would still increase operating hours by at least a quarter.   

Expectations of Further Grants   

Doha is expected to double this gas grant in a subsequent, second phase, to double the current amount, which could double the current hours of electricity supply.   

The Deir Ali power plant has a capacity of approximately 1,500 MW. An expansion project, which has yet to be completed, could bring the plant’s capacity to 2,100 MW, covering at least one-third of Syria’s electricity needs when fully operational.   

In parallel, shipments are expected to arrive via Türkiye, which at a later phase will supply power plants such as the Aleppo thermal power plant and the Zara power plant, covering the northern, western, and central regions. These plants operate primarily on gas. Turkish and Qatari ships could also be stationed off the Syrian coast to supply electricity directly to the Syrian grid.   

Challenges to Supplying Electricity Nationwide   

The bigger problem lies in Syria’s electricity grid, many of whose transformers are faulty, especially in the north, east, and center. This means that even if enough gas is available to run the country’s power stations, more aid may be needed to maintain faulty transformers, replace those that are completely inoperable, and maintain and upgrade transmission lines so they can carry power for extended hours.   

In addition to foreign grants, local civil society organizations may be able to help fill the void, alongside the government—but it could take a year or more until such upgrades are fully implemented across Syria.   

Qatar’s Implementation Partners   

The various parties involved in the initiative have intertwined interests. All have the primary goal of supporting stability in Syria, through in-kind grants rather than cash, in order to raising Syrians’ living standards improve electricity service for domestic, commercial, and industrial use.   

While the assistance is funded by the Qatar Fund for Development, implementation and oversight are to be carried out by the UN’s development agency UNDP, under the supervision of the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. In subsequent phases, other parties such as the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources may play a role, in addition to government institutions of a purely service nature, such as the Ministry of Electricity, the Electricity Distribution Corporation, and the country’s major power plants.   

This underlines the importance of the project and the need for extensive oversight and supervision. It could also help re-establish the relationship between government service agencies and Syrian society, within a framework of government cooperation, partnerships, and service exchange.