As Lebanon’s electricity crisis worsens, Syria is emerging as a potential link for securing new energy supplies by connecting Lebanon to regional electricity sources, particularly Turkey.
This potential role involves two main routes. The first relies on an electricity exchange mechanism between Turkey and Lebanon through Syrian territory, while the second involves building an undersea power line connecting Turkey to the Syrian coast and extending to the Lebanese city of Tripoli.
The proposal comes as Beirut searches for rapid solutions to its electricity sector crisis. Turkey has publicly expressed its readiness to supply Lebanon with power, but the absence of a direct connection between the Turkish and Lebanese grids makes transmission through Syria the option most open to discussion.
Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water Joe Saddi said Turkey had informed Lebanon some time ago that it was prepared to sell electricity. Because the Turkish grid is not directly connected to Lebanon, Ankara proposed supplying Syria with electricity, after which Damascus would provide Lebanon with the same amount through its own grid.
However, the Syrian side had previously informed Lebanon that it could not implement the arrangement because of technical challenges related to the condition of its electricity network.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam raised the issue again during his visit to Turkey. The parties agreed to begin trilateral contacts among Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria to reconsider whether the option could be implemented, as it would be the fastest route if the existing obstacles were overcome, Saddi said.
The first route depends on successfully establishing an electricity exchange mechanism with Syria. It could become viable within a relatively short period if Damascus agrees. The second option, laying an undersea power cable from Turkey to the Syrian coast and then Lebanon, would take longer because it requires technical studies, financing, and substantial expenditure.
Syria’s Location Gives It a Central Role
Economist Majdi al-Jamous told Enab Baladi that Syria’s geographical location is a strategically important factor in global trade and energy flows. Recent regional developments, including the Strait of Hormuz crisis, have again highlighted Syria’s importance as a link among countries across the region, he said.
Al-Jamous added that the convergence of electricity shortages in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon had encouraged the search for shared solutions, including a project connecting Turkey and Lebanon’s electricity networks through Syrian territory.
He said Turkey, given its support for the Syrian government, is seeking to strengthen its economic presence and open new markets through Syria.
The state of Syria’s electricity sector presents the greatest challenge to any regional project, according to al-Jamous. The infrastructure has deteriorated significantly, with electricity production falling from about 6,000 megawatts in 2010 to approximately 1,900 megawatts today, while transmission networks, power stations, and interconnection lines have suffered extensive damage.
Even electricity exchange operations require modern networks and sufficient generating capacity, al-Jamous said. Domestic demand in Syria remains high, and the government is currently seeking to raise production to about 3,000 megawatts to meet a substantial share of growing local needs.
Abdul Rahman Mohammed, a professor of finance and banking at the Faculty of Economics at Hama University, said the plan to supply Lebanon with electricity through Syrian territory goes beyond providing a technical solution to Lebanon’s power crisis. It would also represent a genuine test of Syria’s ability to redefine its geopolitical and economic role after years of isolation.
Mohammed told Enab Baladi that the scenario could give Syria an important economic and diplomatic role and turn its geographical location into a source of strength in the regional energy market. However, he stressed that Syria must not remain merely a transit corridor for electricity. Project revenues should instead be converted into genuine investments that increase generating capacity and improve the domestic grid.
Challenges Obstruct Implementation
Implementing the project faces several technical, economic, and political challenges related to the condition of Syria’s electricity sector, the grid’s capacity to accommodate exchange operations, and the project’s legal and financial framework.
Al-Jamous said any effort to transmit electricity to Lebanon would encounter significant technical difficulties, particularly because the transmission lines pass through Damascus, which consumes a large proportion of Syria’s electricity. Building new networks and rehabilitating infrastructure would also carry high costs.
He said the current priority should be rehabilitating Syria’s domestic electricity sector, particularly in governorates and areas where networks have sustained extensive damage, and improving production and transmission capacity before pursuing projects that serve other countries.
Syria also faces difficulties securing the fuel needed to operate its power plants. The country remains dependent on imports, making it more difficult to expand electricity interconnection projects at present.
Mohammed said the project’s most significant challenges initially concern legal and sovereignty issues, particularly US sanctions. These could expose any party participating in projects that benefit the Syrian government to secondary sanctions, he said. Overcoming this obstacle would require international guarantees or World Bank financing structured as humanitarian projects.
Mohammed warned that turning Syria into an essential energy corridor could give Turkey political leverage in the future. He said the electricity issue could become a tool of influence used during political disputes.
Which of the Two Routes Is Better?
Amid these challenges, questions remain over the best option for connecting Turkey to Lebanon and whether the land route through Syrian territory could provide a faster and more viable solution than an undersea line. Time, cost, and the readiness of existing infrastructure will be decisive in determining which route can be implemented under current conditions.
Mohammed said the land route through Syrian territory appears more feasible than the undersea line because of the time and cost involved. Lebanon needs rapid solutions, while constructing a high-voltage undersea cable would require years of studies, financing, and implementation, in addition to its high cost.
Rehabilitating existing land-based interconnection lines could also be more economically viable because it would cost less and deliver two benefits, improving Syria’s own grid while strengthening regional electricity connections, Mohammed said.
He added that current international conditions could be more favorable to land-based projects involving the rehabilitation of regional infrastructure. Such projects may attract greater international support and financing than the undersea project, which could be viewed as a long-term Turkish investment.
Al-Jamous believes the most likely scenario in the foreseeable future is an electricity exchange between Syria and Turkey on one side and Syria and Lebanon on the other, after the condition of the Syrian grid improves. He said merely proposing these projects offers political and economic gains for Syria, but their implementation remains dependent primarily on the country’s ability to address the challenges facing its domestic electricity sector.