Bayraktar: Azerbaijani gas will meet electricity needs of 5 million homes in Syria

The exports of Azerbaijani gas to Syria, which started today, is actually an electricity project, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar told Haber Global TV on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Türkiye-Syria gas pipeline, Report informs.

The minister stated that the natural gas transported through the Türkiye-Syria gas pipeline will be converted into energy at power plants in Aleppo: "With this gas, electricity will be produced at power plants located in Aleppo, enough to meet the energy needs of approximately 5 million homes. Therefore, this is an important energy supply project. We implemented it in a very short time."

Bayraktar added that this pipeline plays a crucial role in normalizing life in Syria.

The minister emphasized that the support of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev played a special role in bringing the project to this stage:

"Especially after the meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the city of Khankendi, this project entered a completely different phase. We ensured the preparation of the technical infrastructure, and currently, natural gas from Azerbaijan is delivered to Aleppo through this line. This is of strategic importance in terms of normalizing life in Syria."

Bayraktar stressed that this is a historic moment:

"The civil war in Syria that lasted for 14 years has destroyed all infrastructure. The country has serious energy needs. In order to identify these needs, we sent our first technical team to Syria in December. We conducted on-site investigations and prepared medium and long-term plans. One of the most important directions of these plans is to increase Syria's electricity supply."

According to the document recently signed between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and the Syrian government, all technical preparations for the transportation of natural gas have been completed. In the first phase of the project, it is planned to export 1.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Syria annually. The gas will be delivered to power plants in Aleppo and Homs via the Turkish province of Kilis and will be used in electricity generation.