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The Minister of Energy, Eng. Mohammed Al-Bashir, issued a decision to form an inspection and investigation committee to determine the causes of the gasoline shortage in Damascus and its countryside on Tuesday, August 11, despite the availability of gasoline in storage facilities.
The committee was granted full authority to review all documents and records required for its work and is required to submit its investigation findings to the Minister within a maximum of 48 hours from the date of its formation.
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Minister of Energy, Eng. Mohammed Al-Bashir:
During the first half of 2026, the Ministry of Energy continued implementing its plans in the water resources sector to enhance water security and support agricultural production by expanding irrigated areas and rehabilitating infrastructure across the governorates.
The irrigated area under the agricultural plan reached 1.2 million hectares, while irrigation canals, waterways, and drainage channels were cleared over approximately 1,975 km.
In the field of water infrastructure, 8 dams and 6 small dams are currently under construction, while 3 water reservoirs have been fully completed and 43 pumping stations have undergone maintenance and rehabilitation.
These efforts are part of the Ministry’s strategy to improve the efficiency of resource utilization and enhance infrastructure readiness in support of water and agricultural security and sustainable resource management.
3
CEO of the Syrian Electricity Company, Eng. Omar Shaqrouq:
A new transformer has been commissioned to support the existing transformer and add capacity to the grid, helping improve electricity supply for residents of Deir ez-Zor city and its countryside.
The existing transformer had been carrying loads of up to approximately 75 MW. The new transformer now provides additional support and backup capacity for the grid, with the potential to increase capacity and improve supply stability.
We continue working to improve grid efficiency and the electricity supply across the governorates, translating our commitment into tangible action on the ground.
4
The CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, Eng. Youssef Qabلاawi, visited the Emic Factory in Al-Sheikh Najjar Industrial City in Aleppo to review its manufacturing capabilities and explore opportunities to utilize its products to meet the company’s requirements for equipment and supplies used in oil and gas operations.
The visit included a review of the factory’s capabilities in manufacturing pipes, tanks, components, and equipment used in petroleum and industrial operations, as well as discussions on the possibility of using these products in accordance with the required specifications.
The visit comes as part of the company’s efforts to support national industry, increase reliance on locally manufactured products, and prioritize Syrian industrial capabilities whenever the required specifications and capacities are available. This contributes to strengthening supply chains in the oil and gas sector and enhancing integration between the petroleum and industrial sectors.
5
The CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, Eng. Youssef Qabلاawi, met with the Governor of Aleppo, Eng. Azzam Al-Gharib, at the Aleppo Governorate headquarters to discuss a number of files and projects related to the oil and petroleum products sector in the governorate.
The meeting addressed ways to strengthen coordination between the company and the governorate, follow up on the condition and needs of the company’s petroleum and service facilities, and discuss plans for their development and rehabilitation to improve operational efficiency and enhance the readiness of supply and storage facilities.
The meeting also addressed the company’s efforts to remove primitive fuel burners in the Aleppo countryside due to their negative impact on the environment and public safety, as well as the optimal utilization of petroleum resources.
6
The CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, Eng. Youssef Qabلاawi, visited the family of the late colleague Mohammad Majd Al-Din Bakour and offered his condolences and sympathy to his family in Batbo village in western Aleppo countryside, affirming the company’s support for the families of its employees and sharing in their grief.
The visit reflects the spirit of loyalty and appreciation for colleagues who devoted their efforts to their work and carried out their duties with dedication and responsibility.
7
Syrian Petroleum Derivatives Company (SADCOP):
The congestion witnessed at some fuel stations was caused by a sudden technical failure in a gasoline transfer pump on the Baniyas–Homs pipeline, which resulted in a halt in pumping and delayed the arrival of quantities allocated for distribution.
Immediately after the failure, the company activated an alternative supply plan using tankers directly from Baniyas. Gasoline tankers began arriving successively in Damascus and other governorates, while technical teams repaired the pump, restarted it, and resumed pumping through the pipeline.
Supplies remain ongoing, with approximately 73,000 m³ of petroleum products unloaded, in addition to two tankers awaiting unloading.
The company is preparing backup pumps to ensure continuity of pumping operations and enable a rapid response to any similar emergency in the future.
The company is also working to increase storage capacity and construct additional tanks to enhance the flexibility of the supply system and minimize the impact of any potential disruptions on distribution operations.
In a subsequent statement, the company said:
The company continues to supply fuel stations with gasoline and diesel from the Baniyas depot at the maximum available operating capacity.
On August 13, 275 gasoline tankers and 143 diesel tankers left the filling yard to fulfill station orders received from the governorates.
At the Tartous Fuel Branch, filling yards are operating around the clock after three new filling outlets and a new calibration platform were put into operation, increasing the capacity to meet demand and accelerating the delivery of fuel to stations.
Director of the Energy Services Administration, Mr. Abdul Rahman Haj Qaddour:
The fuel crisis will come to an end, and the varying causes of fuel crises require each crisis to be studied separately.
The increase in gasoline demand coincided with the arrival of a shipment that did not comply with Syrian standard specifications.
The investigation committee is reviewing gasoline data and stock levels to determine the causes of the current crisis in Damascus and its countryside.
The committee is investigating the possibility of irregularities in the distribution and fulfillment of gasoline orders.
The majority of fuel stations were destroyed by the former regime.
The deterioration of storage facilities creates difficulties in loading and unloading fuel tankers.
8
The General Establishment for Drinking Water and Sanitation in Damascus signed an agreement with the Czech company Ecomonitor to implement a project aimed at improving access to safe drinking water in Al-Ghazlaniyah town in Damascus countryside.
Under the agreement, the project is being implemented through a grant from the Czech government as part of its reconstruction assistance program for Syria. It includes the rehabilitation of a water station, installation of a solar power system, and construction of a water desalination plant in Al-Ghazlaniyah.
9
Teams from the Syrian Petroleum Company continue rehabilitation works at Al-Azbah Station in the Al-Azbah oil field in Deir ez-Zor by installing production lines and connecting wells 101, 102, 107, and 110, thereby improving production gathering efficiency and enhancing the readiness of the station and surrounding fields.
These works contribute to reducing oil leaks and sources of pollution and strengthening environmental safety standards as part of the company’s efforts to rehabilitate petroleum facilities and improve their operational efficiency.
10
The Governor of Daraa, Anwar Al-Zoubi, conducted a field inspection tour of irrigation stations in the towns of Khirbet Ghazaleh and Kahil, accompanied by the Director of Izraa District, Imad Al-Hariri, the Director of the General Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation, and the Director of Water Resources.
The tour aimed to directly assess the condition of the water stations and the challenges that have contributed to the decline in water levels available for supplying residents in the area.
The tour also included monitoring unauthorized wells in Sheikh Miskine. It was decided that the General Water Company would take control of these wells and subsequently address their status by connecting them to the public water network to improve water supply to residents.
11
The Syrian Petroleum Company announced the completion of the removal of all primitive fuel burners in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, in a step that enhances environmental protection, preserves petroleum resources, supports the regulation of petroleum activities, and improves operational efficiency.
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Director of Water Resources in Deir ez-Zor, Hazem Mohayseen:
The water level of the Euphrates River has risen by 70 cm, with expectations of a further increase of 30 cm vertically and 5 meters horizontally in Deir ez-Zor city due to water flows from the Kdieran Dam.
The flow rate is expected to increase from 600 to 725 m³/s, and this situation is expected to continue for 10 days, subject to possible changes in these rates.
13
Technical teams at the General Establishment for the Euphrates Dam began partially opening Spillway Gate No. 3 to release an additional 100 m³/s, in response to the continued increase in water inflows through the Euphrates River from the Turkish side.
The measure is part of a plan to gradually increase the amount of water released from 600 to 800 m³/s, while continuously monitoring water levels and taking the necessary operational measures to ensure the safety of the dams and related facilities.
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Director General of the General Establishment for the Euphrates Dam, Eng. Haitham Bakour:
Water inflows from Turkey may continue until the end of the month.
Temporary bridges along the Euphrates riverbed may be affected. Through the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, residents living within the riverbed have been warned.
Regarding the Euphrates Dam, only one gate may be opened, while current operations are limited to releasing water.
The rise in the Euphrates water levels is due to increased water inflows from Turkey during the current period.
The dam reservoir is currently at a low level and capable of accommodating additional quantities of water.
The amount of water released from Kdieran Dam reached approximately 825 m³/s starting Sunday morning, August 16, and is expected to remain at this level for at least 10 days.
This increase does not pose a cause for concern; however, caution should be exercised, swimming in the river should be avoided, and vehicles and equipment should be kept away from the riverbanks.
15
Technical teams at the General Establishment for the Euphrates Dam began partially opening Spillway Gate No. 3 to release an additional 100 m³/s, in response to the continued increase in water inflows through the Euphrates River from the Turkish side.
The measure is part of a plan to gradually increase the amount of water released from 600 to 800 m³/s, with continuous monitoring of water levels and implementation of the necessary operational measures to ensure the safety of the dams and related facilities.
16
Syrian Petroleum Company:
At the Baniyas Refinery, water generated by technological processes undergoes advanced treatment in a biological basin to remove pollutants, petroleum compounds, and harmful substances through a series of precise treatment stages.
This represents an important environmental achievement led by the Syrian Petroleum Company’s teams to protect the marine environment, reduce the impact of industrial operations, and strengthen compliance with environmental standards in the petroleum sector.
17
Water Resources in Daraa Governorate completed the rehabilitation and clearing of Sinneen Channel in the Nawa area. The channel is 1,500 meters long, with an average width of approximately 40 meters. It is one of the main channels in the Yarmouk Basin and feeds Adwan Dam Lake, as part of the Ministry of Energy’s plan to improve the efficiency and readiness of waterways.
The works included clearing sections of the channel, removing encroachments, dams, stone debris, and unauthorized structures, as well as constructing service roads alongside the channel to facilitate maintenance and periodic monitoring.
The project will increase the channel’s capacity to drain rainfall, reduce bottlenecks and flood risks, protect agricultural land and nearby facilities, and support the sustainability and efficiency of water infrastructure in the area.
18
The General Company for Drinking Water and Sanitation in Deir ez-Zor, in cooperation with the Furat Program and with support from the U.S. Department of State, began implementing a project to maintain damaged water stations in the governorate.
The project aims to rehabilitate 41 stations that went out of service during the previous rise in the Euphrates water level, in addition to other stations requiring emergency maintenance.
The company completed the fourth phase, which targeted the stations most in need.
Work is currently continuing under the fifth phase. Pumps and motors have been dismantled and transferred to maintenance centers for the necessary repairs, with plans to return them to service within one week.
19
The Ministry of Energy, through the Directorate of Education and Vocational Training, announced the results of the petroleum and mining vocational secondary schools in the Syrian Arab Republic.
20
Water Resources in Daraa continues to strengthen its monitoring measures to curb random well drilling amid the difficult water conditions affecting the governorate and the increasing demand for drinking water, alongside declining yields from several water sources during July and August.
In coordination with district directors and sub-district directorates, Water Resources in Daraa conducted operations to identify and impound violating drilling rigs. Six drilling rigs were seized in the areas of Al-Lajat, Izraa, Dael, and Al-Mazraa and placed in the drilling-rig garage, while the necessary reports and legal procedures were completed, bringing the total number of confiscated violating rigs to 76.