Syria's gas discoveries expose regime's exaggerations

The Syrian Oil Minister  announced on Monday the entry of the "Zamlat Al-Mahra 1" gas well into production near the historic city of Palmyra in the Syrain desert.

Minister Bassam Tohme indicated to the improvement of the electrical situation in the country during the next stage, as the production of the well, amounting to 250,000 м³, will mostly go to power plants.

Oil expert Bassam Marzouk told Eqtsad, "The productivity of the gas well, which reaches 250,000 м³, will hardly suffice to operate one plant for a period of one or two days, and therefore will not increase the generation capacity by more than 100 megawatts, and for the same period."

Marzouk, an expert in energy affairs, added that Syria's gas production is currently more than 11 million м³ per day, yet it is hardly enough to operate the generation plants for ten continuous days, pointing out that the actual need is more than 25 million cubic meters per day, and that In order for the stations to operate at full capacity, electricity continues around the clock.

Marzouk considered the statements of Syrian regime officials about the improvement of the electrical situation through the entry of 250,000 м³ of gas into the network, as exaggerated and presents false hopes for an improvement in the situation in the future, while on the ground it is an achievement that is not only small, but completely unimportant, Officials should not have invested it on such a provocative scale, as he described it.