Energy Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir announced that 22 attacks on oil lines were recorded in Syria since the beginning of 2026, noting that acts of sabotage and theft go beyond the consequences of repairing direct damage to affect electricity supplies and increase the cost of importing energy. According to Ministry of Energy data, the cost of securing Syria's needs for crude oil and imported derivatives is approximately $831 million per month, while the impact of disrupting local production extends to repairing facilities, securing alternative fuel, and losses resulting from reduced electricity.
Disruption costs and reliance on imports
Oil and energy expert Dr. Engineer Ahmed Abdul Razzaq Al-Dahik revealed the large scale of reliance on external supplies, noting that Syria imported approximately 1.5 million tons of crude oil, 598,000 tons of fuel oil, and 283,000 tons of gasoline during the first half of 2026, in addition to more than one billion cubic meters of natural gas. He pointed out that Syria produces approximately 112,000 barrels of oil per day against an supply gap of about 200,000 barrels per day, making the compensation bill highly sensitive with Brent crude reaching approximately $111.75 per barrel on October 20.
Impact of disruption on electricity production
Al-Dahik clarified that the cost of compensation becomes clear when the effect shifts from gas lines to power stations, noting that power stations were supplied with approximately 2.059 billion cubic meters of gas and 859,000 tons of fuel oil during the first half of 2026, with electricity production reaching approximately 10 million megawatt-hours. He noted that targeting a main line could deprive several stations of fuel and take hundreds of megawatts off the grid, as explosions in gas lines feeding the Tishrin, Deir Ali, and Al-Nassiriya stations led to their temporary shutdown and reduced generation.
Patterns of sabotage and containment mechanisms
Documented incidents over the past months were distributed between explosions, sabotage acts, and piercing lines for theft purposes. On September 28, an incident on the Jibsa gas line caused a stoppage in pumping, and repairs required replacing a 18-meter section. Meanwhile, an explosion in the gas line at the Tishrin station on September 30 led to the temporary shutdown of the stations. Experts stressed the necessity of moving from damage repair to early fault detection using digital monitoring systems, and enhancing energy security through a flexible network relying on alternative routes and strategic reserves.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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