Syria to sign deal to potentially double electricity supply with four companies
The Syrian government is to sign a deal with four companies on Thursday to expand its electrical grid by 5,000 megawatts, potentially doubling supply in a country that has suffered severe power shortages after more than a decade of conflict.
State-supplied electricity is available in Syria for only two or three hours a day in most areas, and the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa has pledged to quickly ramp up power supply in the country.
The deal launching the Syria Power Revival Initiative will be signed at the Syrian presidential palace on Thursday, according to a media invitation from Qatar's UCC Holding, whose unit UCC Concession Investments will be lead developer on the project.
The deal will also involve Kalyon GES Enerji Yatirimlari, Cengiz Enerji and Power International USA, according to the invitation.
Energy and construction company UCC Holding - whose chairman is Syrian-Qatari entrepreneur Moutaz Al-Khayyat and whose president and CEO is his brother, Ramez Al-Khayyat - did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for further comment.
The project will expand the grid through the development of gas turbines and solar plants.
Fourteen years of war have destroyed much of Syria's electricity infrastructure, which UN estimates say will require billions of dollars to repair.
Damascus used to receive the bulk of its oil for power generation from Iran, but supplies have been cut off since the ouster of Tehran-allied former president Bashar al-Assad in December.
Qatar, a major producer of liquefied natural gas, has been providing Damascus's main power generation plant with gas since March as a stop-gap measure.
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