Grid Operators Meet
Electricity authorities from Syria and Turkey held talks on 29 October 2026 on the arrangements needed to begin operating a cross-border power line that connects the two grids. The discussions followed the completion of rehabilitation work on the 400-kilovolt line running between Aleppo and the Turkish town of Bireçik.
The meeting was conducted by video link between the Syrian electricity operator and its Turkish counterpart. The Syrian delegation was led by the deputy chief executive for distribution affairs, engineer Khaled Abu Di.
A 500-Megawatt Line
The connection is designed to transfer up to 500 megawatts into Syria in an isolated, or islanded, operating mode intended to supply specific target areas. Returning the line to service would add a substantial block of capacity to a grid weakened by years of conflict and damaged infrastructure.
Rehabilitation of the physical line has already been finished, shifting the focus of the latest talks from construction to the practical questions of how and when electricity will actually move across the border.
Steps Before Power Flows
The two sides reviewed the executive steps still required before current can flow, among them operating mechanisms, engineering coordination and operational safety requirements. They agreed that technical teams on both sides would stay in direct contact until the line enters service.
A Wider Regional Grid
The Aleppo-Bireçik link is one piece of a broader interconnection plan. On 13 October 2026, Turkey's energy minister said talks were under way on a strategic project to connect the power grids of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, in remarks delivered at the 25th World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh.
He indicated that the same effort could later widen energy partnerships to other countries in the region and beyond. For Syria, tying into neighboring grids offers one practical route to easing shortages that have persisted through years of war.