Grid Work Begins
Syria's Ministry of Energy has started preparing work sites for two new power plants, one in Deir ez-Zor and another in northern Aleppo, the energy minister announced on 2 July 2026. Technical and administrative offices are being installed at both locations as the first physical step toward construction.
Minister Muhammad al-Bashir framed the move as the shift from planning to execution, saying that "what was a promise has become a reality taking shape on the ground."
A 750-Megawatt Station
The Deir ez-Zor project centers on a thermal power generation station with a capacity of 750 megawatts (MW). A separate solar power facility is planned at the Al-Teem electrical site in the same governorate.
The thermal unit is intended to feed conventional baseload power into the transmission network, while the Al-Teem array would add renewable output in the same province. Together, the two components are meant to strengthen a national grid strained by years of shortages.
From Memorandum to Site
The work follows a memorandum of understanding signed on 29 May 2026 between the Ministry of Energy and international companies to advance investment in the power sector. The specific sites were designated on 11 June 2026.
UCC International Energy Group is coordinating the Deir ez-Zor works with the provincial government, part of a wider effort to bring outside capital and equipment into electricity generation. The minister linked the accelerated timeline to the goal of stabilizing the electrical grid.
Building on Earlier Projects
The new preparations extend a sequence that already includes generation works at Muharda and Zizoun. This phase covers the groundwork that precedes equipment installation, with technical and administrative offices set up first at each location.
Why It Matters
Electricity supply remains one of the most visible economic constraints for households and industry. Adding a 750-megawatt thermal station and new solar capacity, if completed, would mark a measurable expansion of a grid that has struggled to meet demand, and it would test whether the recent investment memorandum can translate into operating capacity on the ground.