Syria takes part in the 12th Arab Energy Conference in Doha

DOHA, Dec.11, (ST), With the participation of Syria, the 12th  Arab Energy Conference kicked off today  in Doha.

The two-day event is organized by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) under the slogan “Energy and Arab Cooperation”.

At the opening session, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Firas Qaddour, who leads the Syrian delegation, said that the acute shortage of oil derivatives and natural gas in Syria has led to low capacity to meet the need of the people and the service and economic sectors.

“After more than 12 years of unjust war on Syria, the lives and livelihoods of citizens have suffered catastrophic losses that had a severe impact on the economy to the extent that it requires supporting this sector, raising the efficiency of its use, and keeping pace with the energy transition the world is witnessing along with expanding renewable energy projects”, Qaddour said. He added “this is the best method of humanitarian response to the requirements of Syrian society and the first step in rebuilding Syria.”

The minister went on to say that the terrorist war on Syria badly affected the energy sector as oil production decreased from about 385,000 barrels per day in 2011 to about 15,000 barrels at the time. Moreover, the total production of natural gas has decreased from about 30 million cubic meters per day in 2011 to about 10 million cubic meters per day at the present time, and the fact that electricity production in Syria depends almost entirely, at a rate of 94%, on traditional energy carriers (natural gas and fuel oil). The amount of electricity produced in power plants decreased, as a result, to 19.2 billion kilowatt-hours in 2022.

Despite all these challenges, Syria has taken many steps in the field of alternative energies, enacted new laws to encourage investors to establish power generation plants based on renewable energies, and facilitated procedures to attract foreign investments in this sector, Qaddour affirmed

The Minister concluded by saying “Today’s meeting shows solidarity of the participating countries in facing challenges in the field of energy and their consequences, which requires work to achieve a joint response that is based on awareness about the crises and challenges facing our countries.”

B.Q