The World Bank approved a $146mn loan to Syria that will allow electricity interconnection with neighboring Turkey (MEES, 27 June) and Jordan, the multilateral organization said on 25 June. The two main components of the ‘Syria Electricity Emergency Project’ will see the two 400kV lines damaged during the Syrian civil war restored, with The World Bank calling this “a no-regret investment” that will allow power imports, connecting Syria back to regional networks and improve “grid stability and reducing the frequency of the blackouts.”
The country’s grid is in a dire state, with provision down to 2-4 hours/day. Officials earlier this year put capacity at 1.5GW, down on 2020’s 4.4GW and a fraction of the pre-war figure of 8.5GW (MEES, 17 January). (CONTINUED - 191 WORDS)