Azerbaijan to export 1.2bn cubic meters of gas to Syria annually via Turkiye
The gas will be sourced from the Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea, operated by a BP-led consortium, and delivered through a pipeline connecting Turkiye and Syria, according to SOCAR Vice President Elshad Nasirov, speaking at a ceremony in the southern Turkish city of Kilis near the Syrian border.
The move follows high-level agreements earlier this year between Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Syria's new President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, said Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov, as reported by Reuters.
The agreement comes as Turkiye pivots from earlier support for Syrian opposition groups toward rebuilding ties with the Damascus government. Turkish firms in construction, logistics, and manufacturing are positioning themselves to play a lead role in Syria's reconstruction, with damage estimates nearing $1 trillion, according to UN assessments.
'By launching gas exports to Syria, Azerbaijan has demonstrated that it is capable of exporting gas not only to the West, but also to the East and the South,' Reuters cited him as saying at the event.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad Al-Bashir said the gas supply would enable an additional four hours of electricity per day in several conflict-affected areas by boosting generation capacity by around 750 megawatts.
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar noted that the agreement initially targets daily deliveries of 6 million cubic meters, equivalent to the stated 1.2 bcm annually, with potential expansion to 2 bcm per year in the first phase. The gas will help restart power plants in Syria with a combined capacity of 1,200 MW.
While the full volume is expected to reach 6 million cubic meters per day, Al-Bashir stated that the initial phase will commence with 3.4 million cubic meters daily. He emphasized that the supplies would directly support energy recovery in areas hardest hit by years of conflict.
In a joint press conference in May, Bayraktar said the deal could eventually deliver 2 bcm per year, supporting the generation of up to 1,300 MW of electricity.
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