Al Jazeera Net correspondents
Deir el-ZoT- The oil sector has always been one of the important economic pillars in Syria before 2011, as it provided the Syrian regime with a major source of income from export and local consumption.
With the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, the sector underwent significant deterioration as a result of multiple factors, most notably the systematic bombing and repeated changes in control of the oil fields.
With the continuation of the conflict and the imposed Western sanctions, production shrank and exports stopped completely, making the oil sector today face great challenges to rehabilitate it and restore its role in building the Syrian economy.
Oil is a major source for the Syrian economy
Before the revolution, Syria was an oil exporting country with great self-sufficiency in oil derivatives. According to the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), Syria’s production in 2011 amounted to about 385 thousand barrels per day, of which 238 thousand barrels were refined locally, and the remainder was exported with an annual return of about 3 billion dollars.
Academic and researcher in political economy and international relations, Dr. Abdel Moneim Al-Halabi, told Al Jazeera Net, “The Syrian regime was producing 400,000 barrels, with 130,000 barrels counted in the national accounts and the public treasury, and after 2012, production became 140,000 barrels as an average production, which is the last official statistic published.” The deposed regime, which left Syria with a daily need of approximately 200 thousand barrels per day.”
He added, “He compensated for the local shortage through cooperation with Iran until 2017, when Iraq began providing Syria with variable supplies to meet local needs.”
Geographical distribution and declining production
The Syrian oil fields are distributed between the east and west of the Euphrates, where the resource-rich fields were located east of the Euphrates, specifically in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, such as the Al-Omar field near the town of Dhiban, which was producing 80 thousand barrels per day before the revolution, and the Conoco fields near the town of Khasham and Al-Tanak in Badia. Al-Shaitat.
As for the west of the Euphrates, there are less productive fields, such as Al-Taym field near the city of Mohassan and Al-Shula on the Deir ez-Zor road, whose production previously reached about 15 thousand barrels per day.
In Al-Hasakah Governorate, the Al-Jabsa and Rumailan fields emerged with a production exceeding 210,000 barrels per day before the revolution. However, the conflict led to the destruction of infrastructure, and production declined to low levels, as the production of some fields today does not exceed 250 barrels per day, such as the Tanak field, according to Engineer Raad Al-Saadoun, director of field operations, in his interview with Al-Jazeera Net, who adds that the transportation network linking… Between the two banks of the Euphrates was completely destroyed, forcing the administration to use tanks to transport oil instead of pipelines.
The Syrian oil fields were subjected to major destruction as a result of the repeated bombings and thefts that occurred during the withdrawal of regime forces and the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Engineer Firas Al-Hamad, Second Director of Field Operations, pointed out that the sanctions imposed on Syria prevented the import of heavy equipment needed for maintenance, which further deteriorated the sector.
For his part, Engineer Mustafa Taha, Deputy Head of the Dero Oil Department, confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that many stations, such as the Al-Kharata station west of Deir ez-Zor, which includes 29 wells, of which only 5 wells are operating due to the lack of modern equipment and technologies.
The future of the oil sector
The new administration of the oil sector in Syria faces great challenges to rehabilitate the oil fields and restore production to its previous levels.
Economic Advisor Dr. Osama Qazi believes – in his interview with Al Jazeera Net – that lifting economic sanctions and attracting international companies can restore production to 500 thousand barrels per day, half of which will be allocated to local consumption and the other half for export.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, economic analyst Muhammad Al-Ahmad, who specializes in the oil sector at Karam Shaar Consulting Company, explained that achieving this goal requires political stability that ensures attracting investors, in addition to rebuilding the damaged infrastructure and attracting Syrian talents who have left the country.
The new administration of the oil sector seeks to transfer oil revenues into development projects that serve the reconstruction of the country. Musab Al-Hajer, supervisor of the oil fields in Deir ez-Zor, explained to Al-Jazeera Net that intensive meetings are being held between local cadres and experts to develop comprehensive plans to rehabilitate the sector, with a focus on Contracting with foreign companies specialized in drilling and exploration.
Al-Hajer pointed out that there are efforts to improve the exploitation of oil resources to better meet the needs of the Syrian people, while transferring revenues into projects that serve sustainable development, thus contributing to building a new and sustainable economy for post-war Syria.
