Situation of Syria’s Oil Industry

Syria Times conducted an interview with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ Director of Planning and International Cooperation Dr .Eng Jiroudihe Mohamad.

On the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ direct and indirect losses since 2011crisis, Dr .Eng Jiroudihe Mohamad said that the direct loses for the Ministry’s and its companies reached 81.620 billion USD from 2011 till July 2019. The direct damages reached 16.482 billions USD, the indirect damages (known losses of benefits) reached 65.136 billions USDF. The Ministry also lost 223 martyrs (workers and employees who were killed during their work time) and 189 injured in addition to 106 kidnapped.

Concerning the American and European unfair sanctions on the Syrian oil industry and oil imports to Syria, he said that the unfair American and European sanctions and embargo affected directly the Syrian petroleum exploration and extracting process. The working companies suspended their service contracts due to sanctions. It became so hard to import crude oil to run the Syrian refineries of Homs and Banyias which caused sheer shortage in ensuring oil products especially in the winter season. It became hard to import and get spare parts, maintenance requirements, and production requirements.

Before the war against Syria, we were exporting 58 million barrels in 2010 in addition to exporting 3million tons of phosphates and other mineral resources. Today, we cannot export them.

We also face big obstacles in getting and sending money orders and opening bank accounts with international companies and constructors.

Concerning the technical, technology and new contracts with Syria’s allies of Russians, Iranians and Chinese to develop and improve the Syrian oil and gas industry, Mr. Jiroudihe said that Syria’s allies and friends didn’t stop their support for Syria, pre the war on Syria till today.

There were a number of projects signed with the Russians during the 2017 Sochi Meeting of the Syrian -Russian 10th Committee’s Protocol. The projects included petroleum exploration’s new gas and oil fields and improvement of the damaged oil and gas fields, and establishment of scientific center for oil and gas.

The Syrian government singed a number of projects with the Iranians via the Joint Economic Cooperation Accord which was signed in 2015. It included exploration of land fields and developing petrochemical plants. There are also cooperation and signed contracts with China and Venezuela on petrochemical plants.

Concerning the Ministry’ implementing of self-sufficiency projects, he said that the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources’ engineers and workers work so hard to rebuild and develop the oil and gas fields. They try to squeeze the cost and save hard currency in three stages, emergency, medium and long-term plans. The Ministry’s working staff were able to put off 12 burning fields, 10 in Hayan gas factory and field and 2 in al-Sha’ar field during 170 days.

The Ministry’s working staff could reuse the Hayan factory and field, Al-Sha’ar field, Twenan gas plant, Wadi Obeid field and other fields to produce 17- 20 thousands barrel per day and approximately 17millions m3 of gas daily.

End.

Interviewed by Obaida al-Mohammad, Inas Abdul Kareem

Photos Obaida al-Mohammad