Syria and Turkey inaugurated the new regional natural gas transmission line linking the two countries via Turkish territory on Saturday, in the presence of Syrian Energy Minister Eng. Mohammad al-Bashir, Turkish Energy Minister Alp Arslan Bayraktar, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikael Jabarov, and representatives of the Qatar Development Fund.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said that the project will enable the supply of up to 6 million cubic meters of gas per day, adding that the first phase will begin with the supply of 3.4 million cubic meters per day of gas coming from Azerbaijan via Turkey.
For his part, Turkish Energy Minister Alp Arslan Bayraktar said that his country exports electricity to Syria through 8 different points, pointing to plans to increase export capacity by 25 percent in the first phase, with the possibility of doubling it later.
Bayraktar added that Turkey is capable of exporting up to two billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to Syria, an amount sufficient to meet the electricity needs of about five million families.
