Daraa – Mahjoub al-Hashish

The electrical supply in Daraa province in southern Syria has decreased in hours of operation due to repeated encroachments on the main transmission lines connecting Daraa stations to the Deir Ali station in rural Damascus.

Acts of tampering and encroachment on the main electricity lines have recurred since March until the date of this report, leading to long power outages and increased periods of rationing.

The General Electricity Company of Daraa province warned of a complete collapse of the electricity supply if the encroachments on the main transmission lines continue, considering that any sabotage of the only backup line could cause power outages for weeks, which would have consequences affecting vital sectors such as hospitals, drinking water pumping stations, and public institutions.

Reduced supply hours

Rural Daraa is subjected to power rationing of five hours off for every one hour on, while Daraa city experiences one hour of supply for every four hours off.

Haytham al-Hamdan, a resident of Koya town in Western Daraa, stated that the electricity supply experienced interruptions on random days in March and early April following each encroachment on the main electricity line.

He added that the electricity company reduced the on-time to 30 minutes and sometimes to only 15 minutes every six hours.

Al-Hamdan considered that the hour of electricity was important for doing laundry, filling drinking water, or charging batteries and phones.

Among the alternatives is the operation of a generator, which requires one liter of gasoline costing 13,000 Syrian pounds for every hour of use.

Meanwhile, Noursin al-Amar, a resident of Nawa city, resorted to installing a solar energy system recently, stating that it is an alternative solution but costly, requiring at least two thousand US dollars for installation.

What’s the problem?

Some thieves resorted to vandalizing and stealing metal from the main towers in the area linking the Deir Ali station to the stations in Daraa province, making them susceptible to damage and collapse.

The main lines connecting Daraa province to Damascus have faced four attempted thefts, resulting in power outages and reliance on backup lines.

After any malfunction occurs, the workshops of the General Electricity Company of Syria begin maintenance work immediately, which can last several hours and sometimes more than a continuous working day, causing fatigue to the institution’s staff in addition to high financial costs.

A source from the General Transmission and Distribution Electricity Company stated to Enab Baladi that the institution is working on enhancing regular maintenance of electricity lines to prevent technical malfunctions and ensure continuous electricity supply to Daraa and Quneitra provinces.

Regarding solutions, the source mentioned that the institution is working on strengthening security around electricity lines by intensifying patrols from the General Security Forces to prevent vandalism and theft.

Four main lines

Daraa province is fed by four main lines:

• The Tishreen-al-Koum line at 230 kV, which has been completely stolen and is out of service, with the cost of restoring it being approximately 15 million US dollars.
• The Deir Ali-Sheikh Maskin line at 230 kV, which has faced theft and vandalism and is currently out of service. The ministry is currently working on rehabilitating the line to return it to service as soon as possible.
• The al-Kisweh-Sheikh Maskin line at 230 kV, which suffers from technical malfunctions, with the ministry working to repair any faults immediately.
• The International Connection Deir Ali-North of Amman line at 400 kV, which is completely out of service due to theft, with the cost of rehabilitating it being 20 million US dollars.

Campaigns against illegal transformers

On April 16, the General Electricity Company in Daraa, with the assistance of the General Security, carried out a campaign to remove illegal transformers in the cities of Izraa and Saida, as well as some villages in the eastern countryside.

The Director of the Electricity Company in Daraa, Hani al-Masalmeh, stated that the aim of removing the illegal transformers is to achieve electrical and water stability in the province, by reducing the pressure on the excessive loads in water stations, which are mostly supplied by the illegal transformers used for irrigating agricultural lands.

Syrians are awaiting government promises to improve the electricity situation, especially after several countries expressed their readiness to participate in investing in the electricity sector in Syria, either through quick solutions represented by floating ships or connecting electricity lines through existing borders, or supplying fuel and gas for power generation stations.