January 17, 2025 | Atlantic Council

Syria’s energy sector and its impact on stability and regional developments

January 17, 2025 | Atlantic Council

Syria’s energy sector and its impact on stability and regional developments

Excerpt

Syria has the potential to significantly increase its oil and natural gas production, which can provide energy and government revenue that are critical for its stability and reconstruction. Syria was an oil exporter in the decades prior to its civil war, and its natural gas production started to increase on the eve of the war. Most of Syria’s oil and natural gas fields are located in eastern Syria, in areas that are currently largely under the control of the predominately Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) and where US forces are deployed. The YPG is an affiliate of the terrorist-designated Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) but has been a partner of the United States in its campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Control of these oil and natural gas fields plays a role in the developing conflict between the new central government and the YPG, and will potentially serve as an issue of disagreement between Washington and Ankara. In the future, Syria will likely be integrated into regional natural gas trade and might become a transit state for Israeli and Egyptian gas heading to Turkey and to Europe. Turkey announced its intention to begin exclusive economic zone (EEZ) delimitation negotiations with Syria. This will likely spark opposition from Cyprus and Greece, which might turn to Washington and Brussels for support.

Professor Brenda Shaffer is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, a faculty member at the US Naval Postgraduate School and Advisor for Energy at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow her on X @ProfBShaffer.

Issues:

Issues:

Arab Politics Energy Syria

Topics:

Topics:

Israel Syria Europe Egypt Turkey Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Ankara Cyprus City of Brussels Greece Kurdistan Workers' Party Brenda Shaffer Naval Postgraduate School People's Defense Units