MEDirections is delighted to share a new Research Project Report from the Wartime and Post-Conflict in Syria project (WPCS).
Before the 2011 conflict, Syria’s electricity infrastructure was barely functional. There were high production and transmission losses resulting in frequent load shedding during the summer. However, after ten years of war the situation is markedly worse: per capita consumption of state electricity is 15% of what it was in 2010. This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of Syria’s electricity sector after a decade of war. It first reviews: the sector’s pre-war organisational structure; production and consumption levels; its transmission grid; energy sources; and regional connectivity. The paper then assesses the impact of the conflict by tracking the 14 power plants through the war years: energy sources; productions levels; and efficiency. It finally assesses damage to the system, future prospects, and examines the two countries with the greatest interest in rehabilitating the sector, Russia and Iran.