Syria’s Electricity Minister Mohamed Zuhair Kharboutli has called for strengthening cooperation with Iran in the power sector saying Iranian companies are always a priority and the Islamic Republic will have the lion’s share in reconstruction projects in the war-torn country.
Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to construct a combined-cycle power plant with a capacity to produce 540 megawatts in Syria’s western port city of Latakia.
The agreement was signed by the managing director of Iran’s MAPNA Group Abbas Aliabadi and the director general of Syria’s General Establishment for Generating Electricity Mahmoud Ramadan in Tehran in the presence of energy ministers from the two countries, ILNA reported.
On the sidelines of the event, Kharboutli said the MoU is in line with his government’s decision to meet electricity needs in all domains “as the country faces increased demand for power as it embarks on rebuilding the industrial, agricultural, service and tourism sectors.”
Syria has been gripped by civil war since 2011 with assorted terrorist groups including the IS fighting to topple the Damascus government.
Shunned by western powers, the Syrian government is looking to countries like Iran to play a major role in rebuilding the country as the bloody war, now in its seventh year, is expected to come to an end.
The Syrian minister added that 70 kilometers of pipeline with a capacity of carrying 2 million cubic meters of gas per day will be laid to meet the needs of the power plant.
The power project is worth 411 million euros and MAPNA plans to start construction early next year and complete it within three years.
Role in Renewable Projects
Kharboutli said Tehran has also agreed to rebuild the thermal power plant in Aleppo. Work will begin early next year. “We have met state and private companies in Tehran and discussed cooperation prospects in the field of production, distribution and transfer of renewable energy,” he noted.
Emphasizing the presence of Iranian companies in Syria for the construction and restoration of power plants, the minister denied rumors about cooperation with Saudi companies in the development and reconstruction of electricity and water infrastructure in his country.
Iran’s Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian expressed the hope on boosting cooperation and undertaking joint projects with the Arab nation.
“Private companies in Iran are interested in participating in energy projects in Syria and help reconstruct its electricity infrastructure,” he said, noting that the two sides have reached an agreement to build a 50 MW wind power plant in the Arab country.
The two countries signed a contract last November under which Tehran agreed to invest a total of $1.2 million in the restoration of power plants in Syria. According to official data, close to 50% of Syria’s electricity networks have been destroyed during the war that has killed an estimated half million people and displaced 11 million.
MAPNA is a group of Iranian companies involved in development and execution of thermal and renewable power plants, oil & gas, railway transportation and other industrial projects. The company has undertaken projects in Indonesia, Iraq, Syria and Oman.
