Turkey will start providing Syria with natural gas on Saturday, August 2, Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, told the Anadolu news agency.
Meanwhile, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir noted in a statement released by his ministry and quoted by Reuters:
“Starting August 2, Syria will begin receiving 3.4 million cubic metres of gas from Azerbaijan to Aleppo Governorate via Turkey”. This would contribute to generating some 900 megawatts of electricity and help enhance the stability of the electricity grid in Syria.
He explained that Syria made a swap agreement with Azerbaijan, and the gas that will come from Azerbaijan will be exported to Aleppo, Syria, via Kilis, adding that Qatar would also be involved in terms of financing.
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 realise 1,200 megawatts of electricity production,” he added.
The recent easing of certain international sanctions made such projects possible, according to Bayraktar.
Prior to the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey and Syria had signed preliminary agreements for natural gas trade and cross-border energy infrastructure, but they were later suspended due to the outbreak of war.
