In a major Middle East development, Türkiye is ready to supply electricity to Syria and Lebanon. This commitment addresses the pressing energy crises of the neighboring countries. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced this in a press conference in Şanlıurfa, Türkiye.
As the region struggles to get up from the ruins of war, Türkiye is emerging as a leading regional player in the energy sector. Minister Bayraktar revealed that a group of government officials has already reached Syria to assess the on-ground situation. This group is assigned the responsibility of studying the situation to see in what ways Türkiye can help ease the acute power shortage the war-torn nation is facing.
“The electricity that Syria and Lebanon need will initially be met by exporting it from Türkiye,” Bayraktar said. He said that after the assessment, a clearer picture of the condition of the transmission network will be obtained. “The biggest problem in the country is the issue of electricity. A formula will be found out to supply it,” he added.
More than a decade of civil war dramatically reduced Syria’s energy infrastructure, once capable of producing 8,500 megawatts; reportedly, it has plunged to about 3,500 megawatts of installed power. Nowadays, Türkiye supplies about 210 megawatts to those areas in northern Syria which it has rid of terrorist groups through military operations since 2016.
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Minister Bayraktar made a point of the crucialness of the situation in which Syrian citizens have been living with the majority using generators to overcome their basic needs for electricity. “Actually, the need for electricity is huge,” he said. Turkish delegation meetings will also address the potential exploitation of Syria’s domestic oil and natural gas, too, to enhance supplies.
From the humanitarian perspective, involvement by Türkiye in Syria could be understood from a strategic point of view: having supported the opposition forces against the long-time dictator Bashar Assad, Ankara established itself as an extremely important power broker in the region. Turkey was among the first countries to reopen its embassy in Damascus in an apparent about-face amid thawing relations.
Energy cooperation between Türkiye and Syria is nothing new. It was built upon the previous connection of a high-voltage network linking the Birecik hydroelectric power plant in Türkiye with Aleppo in Syria before the war. That infrastructure is now very unlikely to be functional beyond the al-Rai town in Syria.
The comments by the Energy Minister also underlined the needs of Lebanon for electricity, in addition to the economic crisis that the country is in. While supplying power, Türkiye aims at strengthening its ties with neighbors and addressing critical energy shortages.
This readiness of Türkiye to supply power to Syria and Lebanon marks a turning point in regional energy dynamics. While the Turkish government continues to pursue its efforts to contribute to reconstruction and humanitarian aid, future assessments will be critical for determining the possibility and scope of electricity exportation to those countries.
