Heating diesel priced at 115 S.P per liter

The fuel crisis is worsening across Syria as winter sets in, amid rising prices for petroleum products, reduced government subsidies, shortages at fuel stations, and delays in the arrival of supplies.

As part of the latest announced measures, government institutions began distributing heating diesel today at a price of 115 new Syrian pounds per liter in the governorates of Hama, Daraa, and Tartus. The distribution process is expected to expand to the remaining governorates in stages over the next three months, according to Iqbal Mansour, head of the Energy Committee in the Syrian Parliament.

In a televised statement, Mansour said the plan targets around one million families, with a total allocation of 100 million liters, providing each family with 100 liters. Distribution will be supervised by the governorates, their executive offices, and district administrations.

The announced allocation has raised questions about whether it will be sufficient to meet households’ needs during the winter. In many parts of Syria, 100 liters would cover only a limited portion of heating requirements, particularly in inland and high-altitude areas where temperatures drop significantly. Each family will also have to pay 11,500 new Syrian pounds for the allocated quantity.

The allocation appears even more limited in some areas, particularly the governorates of Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor, as well as the city of Kobani, when compared with the quantities previously provided by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. In previous years, the administration allocated 300 liters of diesel to each family ahead of winter through family ration cards and fuel committees, in coordination with communes and local councils.

During its final heating season in 2025–2026, the Autonomous Administration set the allocation at 300 liters per family, priced at 1,050 old Syrian pounds per liter, equivalent to 10.5 new pounds, bringing the total cost to 315,000 old Syrian pounds.

Compared with the previous price, families are now paying around three and a half times as much for roughly one-third of the quantity. This reflects the significant increase in the cost of securing heating fuel and the reduction in the allocations previously provided to households.

The crisis is not limited to heating fuel allocations but also extends to the pricing of petroleum products in general. On September 13, the Syrian transitional government raised fuel prices, increasing the price of diesel from 125 to 175 new Syrian pounds per liter, a 40 percent rise. The price of 95-octane gasoline rose from 152 to 195 pounds per liter, while 90-octane gasoline increased from 147 to 185 pounds. The increases also affected domestic and industrial gas prices.

The Ministry of Energy justified the price increase by citing higher costs of securing petroleum products on international markets, coinciding with the Baniyas Refinery undergoing “comprehensive maintenance,” which has increased reliance on imports of refined petroleum products.

The ministry’s spokesperson described the increase as a temporary measure aimed at ensuring continued supplies and the availability of petroleum products in the domestic market.

Protests over price hikes and supply shortages

The decision to raise fuel prices sparked a wave of public protests in several Syrian governorates on September 13 and 14, with demonstrators taking to the streets in parts of Aleppo, Idlib, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, Daraa, Hama, and the Damascus Countryside. They called for the price increases to be reversed and for the population’s difficult living conditions to be taken into account.

Protests, road blockades, and tire burning have continued to this day. Some demonstrators have also obstructed the passage of oil tankers, demanding the dismissal of officials in the energy and economy sectors.

With prices rising, subsidy mechanisms changing, fuel supplies dwindling, and deliveries to gas stations being delayed, Syrian families are entering the winter facing growing difficulties in securing their heating needs. Meanwhile, the announcement of a plan to distribute 100 liters per family at 115 new Syrian pounds per liter has raised questions about the adequacy of the allocated quantities, the eligibility criteria, and the plan’s ability to ease the burden on residents amid declining purchasing power and rising living costs.