The first natural gas shipments from Türkiye to Syria have begun, Türkiye's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Türkiye-Syria natural gas pipeline on Saturday, Bayraktar said natural gas from Azerbaijan will be delivered to Syria through Kilis, a Turkish border city neighbouring northern Syria.
Natural gas connection from Kilis to Syria's Aleppo was completed on May 21, with the restoration of damaged pipelines.
He said up to 2 billion cubic metres (BCM) of natural gas can be exported annually to Syria, generating electricity to power 5 million households.
Bayraktar also said that electricity exports to Syria currently flow through eight points, with capacity set to increase by 25 percent initially and then more than double.
Syria's energy infrastructure suffered extensive damage due to the civil war that began in 2011.
Power generation facilities, transmission lines, and natural gas systems were heavily damaged, reducing daily electricity supply in many regions to just 3-4 hours.
Following the collapse of the Baath regime in December 2024, a transitional period was launched in Syria, with the reconstruction of energy infrastructure identified as a top priority.
Leveraging its technical expertise and geographic proximity, Türkiye began actively contributing to rebuilding efforts during this phase.
Türkiye had previously supplied limited amounts of electricity to northern Syria, occasionally providing regional support through transmission lines.
