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Qatar Launches Initiative to Supply Syria with Electricity.. Washington Gives Green Light
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The American approval of the Qatari gas deal reflects a change in the international approach toward the Syrian interim caretaker government after recent political changes
Authorities in Doha revealed the launch of a humanitarian program aimed at providing electrical power to Syria through Jordanian territory, according to Syria TV channel.
The initiative, which came under direct instructions from Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, includes supplying quantities of gas to contribute to electricity production with a capacity of 400 megawatts as a first phase, with plans to gradually increase this amount in the future.
Details of this initiative are expected to be revealed on Thursday by the Qatar Fund for Development, during an event organized at the electricity generation station in Deir Ali in Damascus governorate, as reported by TASS agency.
Three informed sources told Reuters on Thursday that Qatar will begin supplying Syria with gas through the Kingdom of Jordan, in a move aimed at improving the deteriorating energy supplies in the country, which a US official confirmed is proceeding with Washington's approval.
According to two sources, gas will be pumped from Jordan via pipeline to the Deir Ali power plant south of Syria, where it can support electricity supplies equivalent to 400 megawatts.
In contrast, two Jordanian officials stated that they do not have information about Qatari gas arriving via ships in the coming days, while another official pointed to the possibility of importing gas with Qatari funding.
A US official indicated that President Donald Trump's administration gave its approval for the gas agreement, without providing additional information about the coordination mechanism.
The positive American signal for this deal reflects that Washington still plays an active role in the Syrian file, despite its more reserved approach to easing sanctions compared to European countries.
The United States is also seeking to encourage an understanding between Kurdish forces in northern Syria and the Syrian interim caretaker government, as part of its efforts to achieve political stability in the country, according to Reuters. Neither the US nor Qatari foreign ministries responded to Reuters' requests for comment.
Syria faces a severe shortage of electricity, with power available for only two or three hours daily in most areas, and the damage to the electricity network makes generation alone insufficient to address the problem.
Damascus previously relied on Iranian oil to operate power plants, but these supplies have stopped since the political change that overthrew Bashar al-Assad last December.
Syrian Interim Transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and his government have pledged to quickly increase electricity supplies through imports from Jordan and the use of floating power generation stations, although the latter have not arrived yet.
