Continuing its regional and international energy collaborations with the vision of Türkiye as an energy hub, BOTAŞ successfully held another historic opening ceremony. With the delivery of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria via the Türkiye-Syria Natural Gas Pipeline through the metering station in Kilis, the first natural gas flow from Türkiye to Syria began.
A gas flow ceremony was held at the Yavuzlu Metering Station in Kilis on August 2nd to mark the opening of the Türkiye-Syria Natural Gas Pipeline. Attendees included Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Syrian Minister of Energy Mohammed al-Bashir, Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, President of the Qatar Development Fund Fahad Hamad Al-Sulaiti, Kilis Governor Tahir Şahin, BOTAŞ Chairman and Managing Director Abdulvahit Fidan, President of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Rövşan Najaf, the Kilis Provincial Protocol, BOTAŞ Deputy Managing Directors Mithat Aydın, Fatih Sel, Aziz Murat Çakır, and Samet Türkoğlu, as well as BOTAŞ employees.
A New Era in Syria
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Bayraktar underlined the importance of the voluntary and safe return of Syrians in Türkiye to their homeland with the start of the new era in Syria, saying "Our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also instructed us to take steps to return life to normal in Syria as soon as possible."
Electricity for 1.6 Million Households
Bayraktar emphasized that Türkiye has been ensuring the security of energy supply in regions such as Afrin and Idlib since 2017, saying, "We are currently exporting electricity to Syria from eight different points. We will increase our export capacity by 25 percent in the first stage and then more than double it with the new connection lines we will add. When our work is completed, our connection capacity will reach 861 MW and we will meet the electricity needs of 1.6 million households in Syria."
Pipeline from Kahramanmaraş to Syria
Bayraktar said he discussed steps to be taken in Syria's energy sector with Syrian Minister El-Beşir. He added that he had visited Damascus and said, "In this context, we have taken an important step to transport the natural gas needed by the power plants in Aleppo from Türkiye via a pipeline. We extended the 36-inch-diameter pipeline, which is approximately 93 kilometers long, from the Türkoğlu district of Kahramanmaraş toward Syria. The pipeline now extends to the Yavuzlu Metering Station in Yavuzlu Village, Kilis, on the Türkiye-Syria border, where we are holding this ceremony today.”
Power Plants to Come Online
Bayraktar pointed out that they will be able to transport up to 6 million cubic meters of gas per day from the Yavuzlu Metering Station, saying, “We will transport natural gas to Aleppo and from Aleppo to Homs. This will also bring the power plants there into operation soon. In the first phase, up to 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas can be exported to Syria annually. With this natural gas, power plants with a capacity of approximately 1,200 megawatts will become operational, thereby meeting the electricity needs of 5 million households and making a significant contribution to the normalization of life in Syria."
Swap Agreement with Azerbaijan
Bayraktar emphasized the importance of acknowledging Azerbaijan's involvement in the project, stating, "Azerbaijan, with whom we share both sorrow and joy, has also offered its support for this project. We signed a swap agreement with SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state-owned oil and natural gas company, for the delivery of natural gas from the Türkiye-Syria border. We will deliver the natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria via Kilis."
Thanks to Qatar
Bayraktar underlined that relations with Qatar are rapidly developing in every field, saying, “We institutionalized the high-level dialogue and cooperation between our two countries through the High Strategic Committee we established in 2014. This effective and results-oriented mechanism has gained a strategic character over time. We see the reflections of this in every aspect of the economy, including energy. In this regard, I would especially like to thank the State of Qatar for its invaluable support of the project.”
Record Time
At the ceremony, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov noted that the pipeline between Türkiye and Syria was completed in record time. He added that the flow of natural gas would pave the way for life to return to normal in Syria.
750 Megawatts Increase
Syrian Energy Minister El-Beşir noted that the Syrian people had been living in darkness for years. He said, "In the first stage, we will receive 3.4 million cubic meters of gas per day. With this quantity, our electricity production will increase by approximately 750 megawatts. The wheels of the economy will turn, and production will increase. Syrians who have left their country will return to their homeland."
Increase to 10 Hours
Qatar Development Agency President Al-Sulaiti also stated that the gas to be transported to Syria via Türkiye will be used for electricity production, adding that thanks to this gas, Syrians will be able to use electricity for 10 hours, up from 3-4 hours.
They Turned the Natural Gas Valve
Following the speeches by the National Ministers and the President of the Qatar Development Fund, Bayraktar, Al-Bashir, Jabbarov, and Al-Sulaiti jointly turned the valve, initiating the flow of natural gas to Syria.
In line with its goals of enhancing regional energy supply security and strengthening energy cooperation with neighboring countries to establish Türkiye as an energy hub, BOTAŞ confidently continues to play an active role in international energy projects.
Date: 4/8/2025
