SYRIA – Gas Pipeline Explosion Disrupts Three Power Stations
A gas pipeline explosion in eastern rural Damascus has disrupted electricity generation across southern Syria, after a fire broke out near the Tishreen Thermal Power Plant on Wednesday evening.
The incident caused three major power stations to shut down after their gas supplies were interrupted, significantly reducing electricity generation across the national grid. Damascus and surrounding areas, as well as parts of southern Syria, subsequently experienced increased power cuts.
The fire burned for several hours, with flames and heavy smoke visible from parts of Eastern Ghouta and the surrounding areas of the capital.
Power and Water Services Affected
The interruption to gas supplies affected three key generating facilities: the Tishreen Thermal Power Plant, Deir Ali and al-Nasiriyah.
The three plants are important sources of electricity for southern Syria. Deir Ali in particular supplies a significant proportion of the electricity used by Damascus and rural Damascus, as well as parts of Daraa and As-Suwayda.
The loss of generating capacity also had consequences for water infrastructure. Electricity-dependent pumping and water-treatment facilities were disrupted, affecting services for hundreds of thousands of people across Damascus, rural Damascus, Daraa, As-Suwayda and Quneitra.
Emergency Response
Firefighters, Syrian Civil Defense personnel and maintenance crews were deployed to tackle the blaze and prevent it from spreading towards the main facilities at the Tishreen plant.
Abdel Hamid Sallat, director of the Ministry of Energy’s Media Department, said technical teams isolated the damaged pipeline by closing its safety valves.
Rather than immediately beginning cooling operations, crews allowed the gas remaining inside the isolated section of pipeline to burn off under controlled conditions. Once the line had been made safe, teams could begin cooling the area and carrying out a technical inspection.
Two people were injured in the incident after being exposed to the fire. They reportedly suffered burns and other injuries.
Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir later visited the site and said the explosion had damaged sections of the gas network as well as some electricity transmission cables. However, the main turbines and generators were not directly damaged.
Efforts to Restore Generation
Technical teams subsequently began working to restore the gas network and gradually return the affected power stations to operation.
Sallat said engineers had begun progressively repressurising the Arab Gas Pipeline between Adra and Deir Ali in rural Damascus. The work was intended to allow the Deir Ali plant to resume operations while technical teams continued monitoring the pipeline and surrounding area.
The Ministry of Energy said gas pressure would be increased through secondary lines in stages, allowing the affected plants to be brought back online individually once cooling operations and the final technical assessments had been completed.
Location of the Explosion
The Syrian Petroleum Company identified the incident as having occurred at a pressure-reduction station and along sections of pipeline in the Wadiyan al-Rabi’ area, near Haran al-Awamid in eastern rural Damascus.
Analysis of satellite imagery and landmarks visible in footage from the scene placed the site approximately 36 kilometres southeast of Damascus, at 33°25’8.14″N 36°41’7.71″E.
The location is part of the gas infrastructure supplying the Tishreen power facility.
Cause Under Investigation
The precise cause of the explosion has not yet been established.
Authorities are investigating whether the pipeline was damaged as a result of a technical failure or whether the incident was deliberate.