Türkiye powers Syria’s rebuild with energy pact

Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has announced a major expansion of energy cooperation with Syria, as Ankara steps up efforts to support the country’s post-war reconstruction.

Speaking alongside his Syrian counterpart Mohammad Bashir in Damascus, Bayraktar outlined plans to significantly increase electricity exports, expand natural gas deliveries, and invest in infrastructure development, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

Bayraktar said that since December, Türkiye has been working closely with the new Syrian administration to help the country “stand back on its feet” and support its reconstruction and revival.

“In the short term, we aim to triple our electricity exports to Syria, reaching approximately 1,000 megawatts in the coming months,” he said, adding that both nations have short, medium, and long-term energy projects in the pipeline.

He also announced the imminent launch of a new gas export plan: “We will soon begin exporting around 2 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, which will contribute an additional 1,200 to 1,300 megawatts of electricity production. The pipeline will extend to Aleppo and Homs.”

Bayraktar stressed the need to increase Syria’s domestic energy production and to explore untapped resources, both onshore and offshore. “We are actively working to increase production from Syria’s existing oil and gas resources, discover new reserves, and channel the economic value generated into rebuilding the country’s infrastructure,” he said.

Recalling that Minister Bashir had earlier participated in an international summit in Istanbul, Bayraktar said, “Through bilateral meetings and his speech at the conference, we underlined the great potential for energy cooperation between Türkiye and Syria. We also observed a strong interest from both Turkish and international investors in the sector.”

He emphasised that access to basic services like electricity is vital to restore normal life in Syria. “Over the past few months, we’ve made detailed plans with our Syrian counterparts to ensure people have consistent access to energy,” he said.

Bayraktar noted that the impact of these efforts was already becoming visible. “Gas will soon begin reaching Aleppo and other parts of Syria, and citizens will feel the change. With the easing of international sanctions, substantial investment and financing opportunities will also become available.”

“As Türkiye, we are fully prepared to support Syria’s development through our state-owned and private companies, and through international partnerships,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the two countries signed a framework agreement covering cooperation in energy, mining, and hydrocarbons—an agreement Bayraktar described as “an important roadmap” for future collaboration.

“In the future, you’ll see us signing even more agreements. With our Syrian brothers, we will bring these projects closer together,” Bayraktar said, offering early Eid al-Adha greetings to the Syrian people and expressing hope that the partnership would deliver lasting benefits.

Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad Bashir confirmed that a natural gas pipeline from Kilis in southeastern Türkiye would become operational in June.

He said Turkish companies would support Syria in both the mining and electricity distribution sectors. “In addition, technical working groups will be formed to facilitate cooperation in electricity and broader energy infrastructure,” Bashir said.

He added that collaboration would extend beyond electricity to include phosphate mining and joint ventures in natural gas production.

“This growing cooperation will not be limited to the power sector; we expect future partnerships in phosphate extraction and natural gas development as well,” he said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev