30 industrial facilities in rural Hama at risk of shutdown amid electricity crisis

Along the Aleppo Highway in the countryside of Hama Governorate, around 30 industrial facilities are facing an electricity crisis threatening the continuity of their operations. Despite investing billions of Syrian liras and providing hundreds of jobs, the facilities depend on the “Mills” electricity line, which suffers from low voltage, frequent outages, and repeated disruptions in supply.

According to observations by ANHA's correspondents in Hama, the industrial facilities in the area are currently supplied through the “Mills” line. However, the growing number of facilities connected to the line has placed additional pressure on the network and caused voltage levels to drop, affecting production lines and equipment while increasing the risk of malfunctions and shutdowns.

Industrialist Jamil Tamari said that any decisions aimed at reducing production costs are welcome, but remain insufficient without addressing the electricity situation at its root. He stressed that a stable electricity supply is an essential condition for maintaining production.

For his part, a source at the Hama Chamber of Industry said that industrialists “cannot afford to bear a sudden increase in electricity prices,” calling on the government to take their circumstances into consideration and grant them a two-year period during which electricity prices would be subsidized, allowing facilities time to install alternative energy panels.

Concerns are growing as the relevant authorities move toward withdrawing the “Mills” line from the industrial facilities and allocating it exclusively to mills. Such a step could deprive factories of their current power source, expose them to repeated outages, and threaten production lines with shutdowns and equipment with damage.

In an attempt to address the problem, the Hama Chamber of Industry, together with the Directorates of Electricity and Industry, is working on a project to establish a new electricity line exempt from scheduled power rationing, with the aim of providing industrial facilities with a more stable supply.

However, the proposed project relies on the industrial facilities collectively sharing the costs of constructing the new line. This has prompted objections from industrialists, who argue that providing the basic infrastructure necessary to sustain production should fall within the responsibilities of public authorities.

The proposed mechanism also includes legal and administrative procedures. Participating facilities would be required to sign an undertaking before a notary public committing them to paying the expenses incurred, while facilities that do not wish to participate would be required to sign a waiver relinquishing their right to connect to the line in the future.

The Hama Chamber of Industry is calling on the concerned facilities to accelerate the required procedures, amid warnings that the “Mills” line could stop supplying the facilities if it is allocated exclusively to mills, potentially resulting in a sudden halt to production.

This comes as the electricity crisis continues to be one of the most significant obstacles facing Syria’s industrial sector.

Industrial representatives in Hama had previously called, during official meetings, for an increase in the governorate’s electricity allocation and for consideration of the facilities’ ability to bear energy costs, alongside calls to expand the use of alternative energy sources.

Data concerning Hama’s electricity sector indicate that limited electricity supply is not an issue affecting industrial facilities alone. The governorate’s network suffers from insufficient generating capacity and infrastructure problems, while electricity lines exempt from rationing remain limited in capacity compared with the scale of demand.

Industrialists believe that the current problem exposes shortcomings in industrial infrastructure planning. Dozens of facilities were connected to a line originally designated for mills before its capacity became insufficient to handle the growing load, while the proposed solution subsequently involved constructing a new line at the expense of the beneficiaries.

Facility owners warn that if the current situation continues, the consequences will extend beyond power outages. It could lead to production-line shutdowns, higher operating costs, and damage to equipment, while also putting hundreds of jobs and existing investments in the area at risk.

While the relevant authorities have yet to announce the completion of the alternative line or a final solution to the electricity supply problem, the future of the industrial facilities along the Aleppo Highway remains tied to the speed of implementing the project, its financing mechanism, and the government’s ability to provide a stable electricity supply to the industrial sector ensuring the continuity of production while protecting investments and jobs.

ANHA