Syria unveils dual-track plan to restore power grid by 2030

Shafaq News – Damascus

Syria’s electricity production covers less than
one-third of national demand, leaving most areas with only four to five hours
of power a day, a senior official warned on Monday.

Khaled Abu Di, General Director of public
Establishment for Electricity Transmission and Distribution, told Shafaq News
that the country needs 6,500 megawatts but generates just 2,000 due to
technical breakdowns, material shortages, and funding gaps.

Qatari firm UCC, he said, is backing the
rehabilitation of four power plants totaling 4,000 megawatts and solar projects
adding 1,000 megawatts, alongside a $146 million World Bank grant for
substations and transmission lines, and support from the Red Cross, UNDP, Saudi
Arabia, and Jordan for distribution upgrades.

Abu Di outlined a dual-track recovery plan involving
major generation and solar investments led by Qatari, Turkish, and US
companies, as well as emergency repairs by Syrian teams at facilities in
Jandar, Mhardeh, and Banias.

Syria has also signed deals with Saudi Arabia’s ACWA
Power for solar capacity ranging from 600 to 1,000 megawatts and wind energy
projects up to 1,500 megawatts, he added.

The roadmap, the official noted, combines urgent fixes
with long-term grid modernization, with international support—particularly from
the World Bank—key to restoring power in hard-hit areas like Aleppo, Idlib, and
the Damascus suburbs.

According to Abu Di, a revised electricity tariff is
under review to balance costs and access, while nationwide supply hinges on
expanded generation, stable fuel inputs, and full grid rehabilitation by 2030.