Qatar to supply gas to Syria through Jordan to ease power shortages, officials say
The 3D render illustrates a pipeline marked with the Qatar flag. (Adobe Stock Photo)
Qatar is preparing to supply natural gas to Syria via Jordan to help ease the country’s severe electricity shortages, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
A U.S. official said the Trump administration had approved the gas deal; however, it remains unclear how the agreement was negotiated.
According to information obtained from two Jordanian sources, the gas will be transported from Jordan via a pipeline to the Deir Ali power plant in southern Syria, potentially boosting electricity generation by up to 400 megawatts (MWs). Both sources said they were unaware of any imminent Qatari gas shipments by sea, while one suggested that the gas could be supplied and financed by Qatar.
Meanwhile, the state news agency SANA quoted Qatari chargr d’affaires in Damascus, Khalifa Abdullah Al Sharif, as saying that the initiative aims to “contribute to generating electricity, starting with 400 MWs, with gradual increases funded by the Qatar Development Fund.”
Mounting energy crisis in post-civil war Syria
Syria has been experiencing a severe power shortage, with state-provided electricity available for just two to three hours per day in most regions. However, due to damage to the electricity grid, simply increasing power production is not deemed sufficient to fully address the problem.
The country previously depended on Iranian oil for electricity production, but those supplies were cut off following the collapse of the 61-year-old Baath regime in December.
The interim government has pledged to improve power availability, partly by importing electricity from Jordan and deploying floating power barges, though these have yet to arrive.
Türkiye also remains one of Syria’s key neighbors in power supply. The interim government plans to loan two power generation ships from Türkiye and Qatar, according to SANA.
Despite the international support of Gulf states, official financial and material assistance has remained limited due to U.S. sanctions on Syria. A waiver issued by Washington in January permitted specific transactions, including those related to energy, but did not revoke the existing sanctions.
