Qatar began to provide natural gas to Syria via Jordan
“Qatar has today started to provide (…) From natural gas to the Syrian Arab Republic via the territory of the chopped kingdom of Jordan ”said the Qatar news agency (QNA). “This initiative aims to remedy the serious shortage of electricity production and to improve the performance of the country’s infrastructure”she added.
The new Damascus authorities, in power since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, are trying to relaunch the economy and put on the Syrian infrastructure after thirteen years of a civil war which ravaged the country and left more than 500,000 dead. The war has notably destroyed power plants and energy pipelines, causing power outages that can last more than twenty hours a day.
The gas provided by Qatar “Will generate up to 400 megawatts of electricity per day at first, the production capacity having to gradually increase to the Syrian power plant of Deir Ali”in the south of the country, the QNA said, citing the Qatari Fund for Development.
Electricity would be distributed in several southern regions (Damascus, Souweida, Deraa and Kuneitra), Center (Homs and Hama), West (Tartous and Lattaquié), North (Aleppo) and East (Deir Ez-Zor).
“This initiative represents a crucial step to meet the energy needs of the Syrian people and reflects a common commitment of all parties to work together for the good of the region”said Fahad Hamad Hassan Al-Slaiti, who runs the Qatari fund.
According to the QNA, this decision was taken on the orders of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim Ben Hamad Al Thani, who was in January the first head of state to go to Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. He then promised to support the rehabilitation of Syrian infrastructure. Qatar, which has never restored links with Syria in Bashar al-Assad, was one of the first countries to support the rebels during the 2011 uprising crushed by the fallen authorities.