Syria receives $146M grant for power sector recovery

The Syria Emergency Electricity Project (SEEP) aims to rehabilitate damaged transmission lines and substations, provide technical assistance to enhance the electricity sector’s development, and strengthen institutional capacities.

Syria’s electricity sector has faced significant challenges in meeting demand, particularly over the past five years, resulting in widespread energy insecurity across population segments and economic sectors. The country’s power transmission and distribution infrastructure has sustained substantial losses and inefficiencies, necessitating urgent rehabilitation and modernization. Numerous critical substations have been destroyed or severely degraded, contributing to significant technical losses. Insufficient maintenance, spare parts, and investments have exacerbated this deterioration, rendering much of the core grid unreliable and prone to frequent outages.

Commenting on the initiative, Jean-Christophe Carret, Regional Director for the Middle East at the World Bank, stated: “Among Syria’s pressing reconstruction needs, rehabilitating the electricity sector stands out as a vital investment to improve living conditions for the Syrian people, facilitate the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, and enable the resumption of essential services such as water and healthcare. This project also supports broader economic recovery efforts.” He added, “This initiative marks the first step in the World Bank’s expanded commitment to support Syria’s path toward recovery and development.”

The project will finance the rehabilitation of high-voltage lines, including two major 400 kV interconnection lines damaged during the conflict, restoring regional connectivity with Jordan and Türkiye. It will also repair high-voltage transformer substations near high-demand areas hosting significant numbers of returning refugees and internally displaced persons, while providing essential spare parts and maintenance tools.

Furthermore, the project will deliver technical assistance to formulate key electricity sector strategies, policy and regulatory reforms, and investment plans to ensure medium- and long-term sustainability. It will also expected to enhance the institutional capacity of Syria’s electricity sector to implement these strategies and initiatives effectively.

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ANHA