Syria begins transition to natural gas to meet the growing demand for energy

Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced the launch of 40% of the area of Syria to the international companies to carry out exploration and hunt for oil and gas including the rehabilitation of some old fields have ceased production in an attempt to extract the oil and gas, using modern techniques .. and counts Syria on gas as the main source of energy with the marked decline in oil production.

According to information released by the Ministry of Oil, it plans to raise the country’s production of natural gas to 32 million cubic meters per day the end of this year will rise to 36 million cubic meter per day next year, note that the current production of 28 million cubic meters per day with the entry of gas plant Ebla central Syria in production recently.

A statement issued by the Syrian Oil Ministry said that there are ten global companies currently operating in the area of exploration for oil and gas in Syria, but had not started production yet.

Syrian government has officially announced its orientation towards a focus on the use of gas rather than diesel and gasoline which had begun in the industrial cities and the mass public transport with a plan at the level of the whole country to switch to gas, taking advantage of the stockpile well as total reserves estimate of natural gas, about 8.5 trillion cubic feet (about 240 km 3)

Syria seeks to take advantage of its geographical location as a corridor to cross the major Egyptian natural gas, Iran and Iraq at the European markets so that they can secure their needs of natural gas through its territory to consumer markets and to benefit from the proceeds of transit fees.

Syria consume entire gas production in addition to import about 5 billion cubic feet from Egypt through the Arab Gas pipeline , which would go to Lebanon and Turkey, through Syria, where Syria seeks to raise the volume of export of gas through to Lebanon to reach about 35 million cubic feet per day to take advantage of proceeds of the transfer of gas to pass through.

The agreements were signed with Iraq in order to build a pipeline to transport Iraqi gas were also signed a deal with Iran in spring 2009 to build a pipeline to transport gas between the two countries to export Iranian gas to Europe via the Syrian ports.

In August 2009, Syria and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to link gas networks in the two countries … and the agreement on Turkey to supply Syria with quantities of gas ranges from 0.5 to 1 billion cubic meters of gas annually in the five years starting from 2011.

In the area of exploration and production of gas and general corporation has signed for oil in Syria in 2009 agreement with Total Exploration and Production French service gas project Attabia in Deir Ezzour east of the country and the project aims to increase the amount of clean gas source to other countries across the transport company National Gas.

Syria announced in 2009 for the discovery of a number of gas fields, enhanced the gas reserves that helped to launch a set of gas projects, most notably the gas project south of the central region to produce 6.7 million cubic meters of gas per day has been the construction of this project by the company Russia and parallel Syria is development of existing fields with the assistance of international companies.

Syria is trying to provide a favorable investment environment and help direct foreign investments in the oil and gas sector in an attempt to address the energy shortage looming.