Turkish energy chief: Azerbaijani gas to power 5 million Syrian homes

Azerbaijani natural gas delivered to Syria will provide electricity to approximately five million homes, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar has announced.

Speaking to Turkish journalists during a ceremony marking the start of Azerbaijani gas exports to Syria via Turkey, Bayraktar highlighted the strategic significance of the project, Caliber.Az reports citing local media.

The minister emphasised that the gas, transported through the Kilis–Aleppo pipeline, will be converted into electricity at power plants located in Aleppo.

"With this gas, the power plants in Aleppo will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of nearly five million homes. This is a vital energy supply initiative, and we have completed it in a very short period of time," Bayraktar said.

He further stressed that the gas pipeline is playing a key role in efforts to restore normal life in Syria, a country where infrastructure has been heavily damaged by 14 years of civil war.

Describing the launch event as historic, Bayraktar credited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his crucial support in bringing the project to life. He noted that the initiative gained significant momentum following a meeting between President Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Khankendi.

“After that meeting, the project reached an entirely new phase. We established the necessary technical infrastructure, and Azerbaijani gas is now flowing to Aleppo through this pipeline,” Bayraktar said. “This development holds strategic importance for stabilising life in Syria.”

The Turkish minister also explained that a technical delegation was sent to Syria in December to assess the country’s energy needs on the ground. Based on their findings, both medium- and long-term plans were drafted, with a primary focus on boosting electricity supply as one of the most urgent priorities.

By Tamilla Hasanova