Syria pumps more power into electric grid - official

Syria resorts less to power rationing amid an increased electricity output, with further plans to expand and restore electricity infrastructure, an official at the electricity ministry said.
 
Bassam Darwish, head of the electricity ministry's planning unit, said production went up starting 2016, adding that projects worth "several billions of dollars with Iran and Russia" are in the works.

Electricity supply has been highly restricted and irregular across various parts of the country during seven years of war.

But several victories for President Bashar al-Assad and the recovery of territory is paving the way for the electricity ministry to repair power stations and electricity lines.

"Among the projects is rehabilitating generating stations in Aleppo, the first and fifth groups (of stations) will be done with Iran and the second, third and fourth groups will be done with Russia,” Darwish said.
 
He did not specify exactly how much the new project will cost.
 
Syrian government forces, with critical help from Iran-backed militias and the Russian air force, recovered full control of Aleppo in late 2016, driving out rebels who had held the city's eastern districts.
 
Mohammed al-Saleh, the director general of the state-owned Aleppo power company, had said earlier this year that all of the city's pre-war power generation capacity - amounting to 1,000 Megawatts - had been destroyed in the conflict that erupted in 2011.

The Syrian government has also started restoring the Taim oilfield to supply Deir al-Zor in the east with power.

Improving electricity supply would help Assad restore economic growth in territory the government controls.

Seven years into the war which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, Assad now commands most of Syria with his allies' help.