Oil Ministry Expects Implementation of Gas Project North Central Region

 DAMASCUS, (ST) – The Oil Ministry predicted the completion of the gas project north central region and to start producing gas by the middle of August as the first phase at a rate of 1.2 million cubic meters per day and to complete operation of the project by the end of the year, where the capacity of the project could reach 3.2 million cubic meters per day.

The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Eng. Suleiman Abbass indicated to the continuation of drilling in the central region where the works are going on to drill gas wells in the fields of the al Faid and Sadad.

“Most of the oil fields and transport networks of light and heavy oil and oil products exposed to attacks that led to the stoppage of work and production and the gas transport system and they  also exposed to several encroachments, pointing out that  that electric generation stations were provided by  2. 46 billion meters cubic of gas,” Eng. Abbass explained.

He also spoke about the damage caused by the current conditions of the country’s oil sector and mineral resources, pointing out that the value of the losses of the oil sector since the start of the crisis amounted to “570 billion Syrian pounds including the value of the quantities of wasted and stolen oil and gas including infrastructure, installations, oil pipelines, derivatives, machinery and equipment in addition to 2.954 trillion Syrian pounds as indirect losses.

The Minister stressed on the need to activate the process of training and connect the training track with the career to upgrade the performance of employees, prepare cadres capable of completion of the rehabilitation of infrastructure, resume production in the next phase, provide companies with employment taking into account the degree , efficiency, experience, qualifications, age and physical health.

The participants at the meeting reviewed the plans of the companies, rates of implementation, difficulties and challenges that hinder the progress of the work.

The total produced oil in Syria during the first half of this year, according the memorandum of implementation amounted to 3. 164 million barrels on average production rate of 17 thousand barrels per day and drop estimated at 11 thousand barrels per day from the average production of the first half of 2013, while the total raw gas produced during the first half amounted to 2.961 billion cubic meters averaged out at 16.36 million cubic meters per day, whereas available gas distributed to consumers amounted to 2.689 billion cubic meters.

As for the refining, the amount of refined crude in Homs and Baniass refineries reached 3.111 million tons, while the produced derivatives reached 3. 080 million metric tons and sales of the refineries for the same period amounted to 3.243 million metric tons valued at 247.345 billion Syrian pounds.

“The value of total sales of fuel for the Mahroukat (hydrocarbons) Company for Petroleum Products and Cooking Gas amounted to 197.910 billion Syrian pounds while the value of total purchases of these materials amounted to 272.296 billion Syrian Pounds, and the value of the support of petroleum products for the first half of 2014, reached about 81.940 Syrian Pounds,” the conferees said.

Regarding to the mineral wealth, the totaled sales of the General Establishment of Geology and Mineral Resources of raw materials and construction industry for the first half of 2014 are estimated at 669 million Syrian pounds, while the sales of phosphate mounted to 485.931 tones worth at 5.063 billion Syrian Pounds.

Sharif al -Khatib