AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh and Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abul Saud on Wednesday held talks with Syrian Minister of Energy Mohammad Bashir to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy and water.

 

The meeting, held at the Energy Ministry headquarters, focused on strengthening regional integration, rehabilitating shared infrastructure and promoting sustainable development between the two neighbouring countries.

 

Kharabsheh said that, in line with directives from His Majesty King Abdullah, Jordan has been supplying Syria with Qatari natural gas through the Arab Gas Pipeline since the early stages of coordination. The minister also highlighted that the two sides discussed increasing the volume of gas exported to Syria, in cooperation with Qatar and Egypt, to support electricity generation in the country.

 

Kharabshe also said that Syria is currently working to rehabilitate its section of the transmission line, adding that a technical team would be formed to follow up on this file, with financial and technical support under consideration from the Arab Fund for Economic.

 

The talks also addressed plans to increase the electricity interconnection capacity between Jordan and Syria to 300 megawatts, alongside broader cooperation in electricity distribution and petroleum logistics.

 

Kharabsheh highlighted Jordan’s advanced infrastructure in oil storage and monitoring, particularly through the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company and the Jordan Oil Logistics Company. Syrian officials, he said, expressed interest in leveraging Jordan’s expertise in these areas.

 

On renewable energy, the minister noted that Jordan’s leading private sector companies would engage directly with their Syrian counterparts to explore investment opportunities in clean energy. “Agreements have already been signed with private partners as part of a broader strategy to expand the use of renewables in both countries,” he added.

 

For his part, Bashir noted that the World Bank has provided a grant to rehabilitate Syria’s part of the electricity interconnection line and that steps are being taken to increase Jordan’s gas exports to Syria.

 

He also stressed that Syria was coordinating closely with Jordanian renewable energy companies to learn from Jordan’s successful experience in the sector and to encourage Jordanian investment in the Syrian market.

 

Also on Wednesday, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, in coordination with relevant government agencies and private Jordanian companies, hosted a series of specialised meetings with the Syrian delegation, focused on enhancing cooperation in electricity distribution, renewable energy, and oil and gas.

 

During a meeting with electricity distribution companies and the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission, Jordanian officials presented the Kingdom’s experience in regulating and privatising the electricity sector. The session also explored opportunities for Jordan to provide technical support, given the substantial investment potential in Syria’s power sector.

 

In another meeting with Jordanian private sector companies operating in renewable energy, both sides explored prospects for cooperation and investment. Talks included the legal and regulatory frameworks governing investment in Syria, with Jordanian companies expressing a strong interest in contributing to renewable energy projects across the border.

 

Representatives of Jordan’s industrial sector also shared their experience in manufacturing components for renewable energy initiatives and reiterated their full readiness to engage in Syria’s emerging market.

 

Meanwhile, in a session dedicated to the oil and petroleum derivatives sector, the Syrian delegation held talks with representatives from the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company, petroleum marketing firms, and the Logistics Company for Petroleum Facilities. Discussions centred on the pressing challenges Syria faces in securing petroleum derivatives and the urgent need to rehabilitate oil refineries.

 

Jordanian companies also outlined potential avenues for cooperation, including the supply of household gas, the rehabilitation of fuel stations within Syria, and efforts to enhance storage capacity.