Turkey to help post-Assad Syria resolve electricity outages

Turkey will dispatch a technical team from its energy ministry to assess Syria's infrastructure and address the country's widespread electricity, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Monday.

The team will depart for Syria "soon" to inspect electricity lines and develop solutions to the frequent power outages, Bayraktar said. 

Experts from Turkish state-owned companies, including the Electricity Generation Company (EUAS) and the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS), will survey Syria's energy infrastructure, which has been severely damaged by years of war and sanctions.

Their research will focus on energy production, transmission and distribution lines, aiming to identify deficiencies in Syria's energy system. They will then draft a comprehensive report outlining the necessary steps to address the issues.

Electricity cuts remain a persistent problem in Syria, even in major cities such as Damascus and Aleppo.

The new Syrian administration, formed after the fall of the Assad dynasty, has been seeking sanctions relief from western countries to help rebuild its energy sector.

Iran stops oil supplies

During a visit to Damascus on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan publicly pledged support to Syria's new administration, promising assistance to the caretaker government in addressing its challenges.

Since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, western nations have imposed extensive sanctions on the country's energy sector in response to the former government's violent repression of civilians.

These sanctions include bans on new power plants, restrictions on providing technical or financial assistance for such projects and limitations on exporting equipment critical to Syria's oil and natural gas industries.

As a result of the measures, Syria became heavily dependent on Iran for fuel supplies. However, following the success of the Syrian revolution, Iran, once a key ally of the Baathist government, stopped its fuel shipments to Damascus.

During Assad's rule, Iran supplied Syria with approximately 70,000 barrels of oil per day.

The suspension of these shipments severely disrupted operations at Baniyas, Syria's largest oil refinery. The refinery previously processed between 90,000 and 100,000 barrels of crude daily. 

The Turkish energy minister said the Lebanese government is interested in collaborating with Turkey on energy projects, including the potential import of electricity.

This plan depends on Ankara's ability to repair the electricity lines connecting Turkey to Syria and extend them to Lebanon.