In the first World Bank funding for Syria since 1986, the Public Electricity Transmission and Distribution Corporation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, has completed the subsidiary agreement for a World Bank grant worth USD 146 million. The grant aims to reform and improve electricity transmission, restore the energy sector, and support Syria’s recovery.
Finance Minister Muhammad Barniyeh stated that the agreement focuses on financing a project to rehabilitate and develop the electricity transmission and distribution system. This includes strengthening regional interconnection with Jordan and the traditional interconnection with Turkey, which will help expand the grid and increase available capacity.
Barniyeh explained that the Ministry of Finance serves as the counterpart to the World Bank in this agreement and will oversee implementation and ensure the proper use of funds in line with agreed conditions. He described the agreement as a positive step that opens the door to securing additional grants in sectors such as health, environment, and water in the coming years.
Areas for Rehabilitating Substations
Khalid Abu Di, Director-General of the Public Electricity Transmission and Distribution Corporation, explained that the project consists of two main components. The first involves rehabilitating regional interconnection lines with Turkey and Jordan. The second focuses on rehabilitating several substations at different voltage levels in areas witnessing significant returns of displaced residents, particularly in Aleppo countryside, Idlib, and Rural Damascus.
He noted that these upgrades will enhance the reliability of the national electricity network, stressing that all governorates will benefit since the transmission system operates as an integrated interconnected ring.
Enhancing Electrical Infrastructure to Support Refugee Returns
As part of broader efforts to restore essential services and support the return of refugees, the corporation’s technical teams recently completed infrastructure upgrades in the city of Palmyra and the town of Sukhnah in Homs Governorate.
The work included installing a new 400 kVA transformer in the Ashayer neighborhood to secure electricity supply, rehabilitating a 400 kVA conversion center in Sukhnah to improve grid stability, and implementing three kilometers of medium-voltage networks and one kilometer of low-voltage networks. These measures help extend electricity to newly served residential areas.
These steps are part of an integrated national plan to facilitate refugee returns, ensure continuity of electricity supply, and improve service quality, recognizing electricity as a cornerstone of daily life and a key factor in stability and recovery.
