SYRIANNEWS — broadcast
20260920 110000 UTC
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[00:00:00] and he replied positively, he said: "I will send you
[00:00:04] the details of everything, God willing, after
[00:00:07] the session," but time, in reality, does not permit. We have been listening to the station for almost an
[00:00:11] hour
[00:00:14] held the position of head of operations branch in and a half. Your Excellency, the Deputy, regardless of the answers, have you sensed
[00:00:17] a positive response? Have you sensed a positive response from
[00:00:23] producing from directly. So if they are technically the minister regarding subsidies for some parliamentary demands from the street and the Syrian people? Now he
[00:00:26] is reviewing his information,
[00:00:29] I mean, excuse me. Did he give us any promises? No, of course not.
[00:00:34] is not only with Now, perhaps
[00:00:35] supplies, but also with there are demands to re-examine prices,
[00:00:38] perhaps there are demands to suspend the increase
[00:00:41] in electricity prices, meaning the
[00:00:44] previous decision. There is a request to stop this
[00:00:48] decision until the income of
[00:00:51] and supervised the average citizen in the street improves,
[00:00:54] not the employee whose salary has
[00:00:56] relatively increased to a good extent.
[00:01:01] My impression of this session is very positive. This is the
[00:01:05] second session we have with the minister, and we had a session with the Minister of Education and also
[00:01:08] the Minister of Energy. Thank you, and God willing,
[00:01:11] this is what His Excellency the President said
[00:01:15] about listening to the ministers and questioning them
[00:01:18] and asking them what we want.
[00:01:20] In fact, this is something I have sensed from everyone
[00:01:24] in my surroundings in the area where
[00:01:27] I reside in Damascus, they are all happy. Why?
[00:01:30] Because it is the first time they hear
[00:01:34] to the industrial zone in frankly from a minister
[00:01:36] Sheikh Najjar. The industrial zone in under the parliament dome with this transparency and with this... Well, you might tell
[00:01:39] me, did he cover everything and answer everything? Of course not, time does not
[00:01:43] permit, firstly. Secondly, perhaps there are answers
[00:01:47] that are not ready for him to give us,
[00:01:51] so perhaps we will ask him to send them via correspondence
[00:01:54] with the office of the Speaker of the People's
[00:01:57] Assembly, and perhaps after two or three days
[00:02:00] at most, all the answers will come to us in writing, God willing. God bless you
[00:02:04] and may God protect you. Thank you, thank you very much, Your Excellency, the Deputy. A thousand thanks to you. May God protect
[00:02:07] you. Yes, we are continuing also, or we will continue
[00:02:12] excuse me, Doctor, for this coverage. Perhaps after the break, the deputies will return to the hall for
[00:02:16] the minister, Mr. Muhammad Al-Bashir, Minister of Energy, to answer
[00:02:21] agreements. After all this, the remaining parliamentary
[00:02:22] I mean, I am speaking this questions. Certainly, Jamil Qassem,
[00:02:24] Syrian News reporter, we continue with you in this coverage and we may return to you
[00:02:28] at a later time during this coverage on the Syrian News screen.
[00:02:32] Thank you very much, Jamil.
[00:02:36] I return to you, Dr. Musab, once again. Dr. Musab, you were talking
[00:02:41] I mean, this about the point of optimism and you said that you sensed optimism regarding the energy sector
[00:02:45] in Syria through the minister's words and the figures
[00:02:48] he mentioned. But the reality today
[00:02:51] says otherwise. There is an increase in fuel prices, there is an increase in diesel
[00:02:55] prices specifically, and this
[00:02:58] was, especially from those who committed increase affects all aspects of life. It affects
[00:03:00] and continuous communication of agriculture, industry, it affects
[00:03:03] completely and fully on transportation.
[00:03:05] So this I mean, after the increase in fuel prices, after the adjustment of energy prices, there was an increase in
[00:03:09] daily transportation prices
[00:03:12] for buses and small buses that
[00:03:16] there are transport passengers. How do you interpret this optimism, Dr.
[00:03:19] Musab?
[00:03:22] Of course, this optimism is not emotional optimism, dear Mr. Ahmed.
[00:03:26] It is optimism based on indicators and figures.
[00:03:30] is not in And I mean, we always talked in a number of interventions about
[00:03:34] the concerns that follow any increase in energy
[00:03:37] prices. The first scene of optimism is what
[00:03:40] the honorable deputy talked about with your correspondent,
[00:03:44] which is the frank
[00:03:46] of reality, based on disclosure
[00:03:47] the data, on and clarity and discussion. Even the session is broadcast
[00:03:50] live. I mean, during the days of the defunct
[00:03:55] where he stated that Syria's needs for regime, in fact, we used to see some clips here and there, but we did not
[00:03:58] real aggressions against see all the details of the session. This is something. In itself, this
[00:04:00] is, in fact, a healthy and positive indicator. The second thing, I mean, I want to
[00:04:04] give several points that Mr. Minister mentioned. First of all, you have
[00:04:08] 1,000 dismissed, excuse me, 12,000, and
[00:04:12] 10,000 dismissed were reinstated. All
[00:04:15] of these are specialists and experienced people. Reinstating them to their workplaces
[00:04:19] is weakness in will be a boost for the work of the Ministry
[00:04:21] of Energy. The second thing is that you have the activation of drilling operations.
[00:04:25] I mean, one of the drilling rigs, as I recall,
[00:04:28] was completely serviced
[00:04:32] with local capabilities. Thirdly,
[00:04:35] he talked about the re-establishment or the existence of a specialized committee to re-evaluate
[00:04:41] the presentation, on the day we started it on and laws in this the reserves,
[00:04:42] The issue of infringing on because in reality, Mr. Ahmed, we do not yet have
[00:04:45] 100% clear figures about
[00:04:48] the reserves, about the strategic
[00:04:51] for energy, petroleum derivatives, reserves, the production capacity, what are the wells out of service, what are the wells that need
[00:04:55] it, because many of the wells have, in fact, been subjected to
[00:04:59] excessive scraping. He also talked
[00:05:04] viewers, but we would like to draw your attention about this. He talked about
[00:05:05] operated. 10 new wells have been brought into the issue of storage, production, how will it be? Will it cover this and we, do you remember, sir, we talked
[00:05:10] I also believe that the issue does not
[00:05:10] Forces state that they have arrested production, they have been drilled and brought into once that we have a storage problem, that Syria, in its best conditions, cannot store petroleum derivatives
[00:05:13] for more than 30 to 45 days.
[00:05:16] So he said that, in fact, we currently have a committee
[00:05:20] or we have specialists who went to Korea. The man is giving you facts,
[00:05:24] he is not giving you empty words. They went to Korea. You have
[00:05:27] tanks that could be imported
[00:05:33] capable of actually adding to the
[00:05:36] storage in Syria, this is a positive thing.
[00:05:39] He talked about the refineries and he said, and
[00:05:43] this is a known fact, that our problem
[00:05:48] refining. I mean, what is the benefit of
[00:05:51] importing, say, 500,000 barrels, but
[00:05:54] you cannot refine them? So he talked about the issue
[00:05:57] of refining, and in fact, this is a beautiful technical point,
[00:06:01] that refining should be done at the place
[00:06:03] of production. And he said that we will soon
[00:06:06] have, I mean, a study is being conducted to have
[00:06:10] five refineries. Each refinery
[00:06:14] stores Syrian, I mean, the process, yes, the process
[00:06:17] of refining about 30,000 barrels.
[00:06:20] I mean, if you have, for example, he said in the eastern region, it will be
[00:06:24] worked on, or in the region of Aleppo or even in Homs,
[00:06:27] you do not wait until the prospective refinery is established
[00:06:31] that will be an alternative to the Homs refinery in the region
[00:06:34] of Furqlus, but rather that there will be an import
[00:06:38] of ready-made refineries with a capacity of between 30 to
[00:06:41] 35,000. This is also a healthy indicator.
[00:06:44] And he also gave a time indication that
[00:06:48] we, with the help of God, will have self-sufficiency
[00:06:51] in petroleum derivatives by the year
[00:06:54] 2028. So this is also something that calls
[00:06:57] for optimism. He also said that for the gas issue,
[00:07:01] no, we are still far from that because our production
[00:07:04] still does not cover even about
[00:07:07] 10% of our needs regarding
[00:07:10] gas, whether it is LPG or the gas that
[00:07:14] power stations need. So
[00:07:17] these matters, besides the energy agreements,
[00:07:21] and he mentioned the issue of Conoco and the issue of Chevron,
[00:07:24] and the importance of these companies entering the Syrian market, and they have entered
[00:07:28] the Syrian market, and memoranda of understanding have turned into
[00:07:33] I mean, I believe that there are signs
[00:07:37] of optimism, there are clear figures, you have a roadmap,
[00:07:40] you have a road map. So the optimism here, Mr. Ahmed,
[00:07:44] is based on facts, and it is not
[00:07:47] a figment of imagination, and it is not an
[00:07:50] interpretation of some meanings of words, but rather I believe
[00:07:54] that the clarity was complete in this session, and this is what
[00:07:58] we always wish for. I mean, we do not wish for this
[00:08:01] disclosure session to be
[00:08:04] in the context that we have an energy crisis, but rather
[00:08:08] we wish that there would be continuous updating of data
[00:08:13] data, either through the Minister directly
[00:08:16] or through Mr. Youssef Qiblawi or whoever represents
[00:08:20] the Ministry of Energy, the official spokesperson. We need to have updated information
[00:08:24] because today our citizen is in dire need of
[00:08:27] updating data, updating figures, what is the energy
[00:08:31] situation, what is Syria's energy situation.
[00:08:34] In fact, all of this builds a real communication
[00:08:38] channel, and this is what we always call for, and we are happy with it.
[00:08:41] Of course. The burden is great and the weight is great,
[00:08:45] but God willing, I mean, solutions are presented, solutions
[00:08:49] that hopefully will solve or
[00:08:52] overcome this stage that I call the transitional
[00:08:55] stage, transit state. All these solutions presented
[00:08:59] currently, even what he talked about regarding the three
[00:09:03] types of fuel oil or
[00:09:05] diesel and the different prices, these are not permanent solutions, Mr. Ahmed,
[00:09:09] and they are not strategic solutions. They
[00:09:11] are an attempt to overcome this difficult
[00:09:14] stage and to benefit from local resources and capabilities
[00:09:18] and to prevent any sector from being cut
[00:09:21] off, whether in the agricultural sector or even in the winter
[00:09:24] period, we have heating. I believe that the burden
[00:09:28] is heavy on the Ministry of Energy, but what is reassuring and what
[00:09:32] bodes well is that the work is extensive and there is
[00:09:35] communication with the Syrian street and with the national media
[00:09:39] in terms of figures. Well, after all of this, do you not
[00:09:43] think that we always
[00:09:45] need to feel the magnitude of the problem together?
[00:09:49] I mean, there is still a side, of course, that will be discussed, the electricity side.
[00:09:52] He will definitely talk about the issue of electrical losses and electricity
[00:09:56] meters. This is also an issue that has its concerns and its
[00:09:59] problems, and it may
[00:10:01] cause the greatest pressure on the citizen's bill,
[00:10:05] and we hope that there will be final solutions
[00:10:08] to this issue by replacing old meters with new meters.
[00:10:12] Yes, we are continuing this coverage, dear
[00:10:16] to this breaking news. Internal Security
[00:10:22] the person known as Zakaria Muhammad Sanoun in a qualitative
[00:10:26] and well-executed security operation. He held the rank of Brigadier
[00:10:29] General, a pilot in the era of the defunct regime. Internal
[00:10:33] Security Forces add that the person known as Sanoun
[00:10:39] the 22nd Division and supervised air
[00:10:42] operations at Hama and T4 and Shayrat airbases.
[00:10:46] And that
[00:10:48] he is involved in planning and executing air attacks against
[00:10:51] civilians during the years of the Syrian
[00:10:55] Revolution. So, dear viewers, Internal Security Forces
[00:10:59] have arrested the person known as Zakaria Muhammad Sanoun in a qualitative
[00:11:03] and well-executed security operation. He held the rank of Brigadier
[00:11:06] General, a pilot in the era of the defunct regime.
[00:11:09] And that the person known as Sanoun held the position of head of operations branch
[00:11:13] in the 22nd Division
[00:11:16] air operations at Hama and T4 and Shayrat
[00:11:20] airbases, and he is involved in planning
[00:11:23] and executing air attacks against
[00:11:26] civilians during the years of the Syrian
[00:11:29] Revolution. I return to you, Dr.
[00:11:33] Musab, I mean,
[00:11:36] we are continuing this coverage, of course, but
[00:11:39] perhaps one of the important points that the Minister of Energy also talked about
[00:11:43] during today's session, the listening session in the People's Council,
[00:11:46] is the issue of deterrent legislation for those who
[00:11:49] commit violations, whether minor infringements,
[00:11:53] electricity theft,
[00:12:03] cable theft, electrical transformer theft. I mean, he talked
[00:12:06] about figures in the millions that happened in
[00:12:09] Daraa for copper whose value is perhaps, I mean,
[00:12:13] tens of thousands. What is the importance of this point
[00:12:16] also, and what kind of
[00:12:19] deterrent legislation or penalties can be issued by the People's Council
[00:12:23] at a later time? And also, an important point: Do
[00:12:27] these penalties, I mean, are they issued by the People's Council or proposed by
[00:12:30] the Ministry? I mean, the Council reviews them
[00:12:33] and approves them? Or Mr. Ahmed, or perhaps the Ministry of Interior,
[00:12:37] the interruption. Okay, Mr. Ahmed,
[00:12:40] in fact, this issue is one of the issues
[00:12:43] that really breaks my heart.
[00:12:47] from a purely field perspective. I mean, if
[00:12:51] you would allow me a minute or two to describe the situation,
[00:12:54] when we returned to our areas, I mean,
[00:12:57] after our displacement by the defunct, oppressive,
[00:13:01] criminal regime, by God, we did not find
[00:13:04] an electricity line, we did not find a transformer, we did not
[00:13:07] find any electrical infrastructure
[00:13:10] at all. I mean, as if you don't know that
[00:13:14] this matter, if it indicates anything, it indicates
[00:13:17] that there
[00:13:23] this crime, at one
[00:13:25] point during the days of the defunct regime, there was no sense, not even
[00:13:28] a single degree, that this blessing, this
[00:13:32] infrastructure, is a national blessing. It belongs
[00:13:35] to the nation, it is not tied to
[00:13:38] policies or orientations. Therefore,
[00:13:41] the issue that His Excellency the Minister of Energy talked about, that there should be
[00:13:45] legislation, this is indeed one of the biggest challenges
[00:13:48] that exist. He gave an example, I mean,
[00:13:51] even the Arab Gas Pipeline. Imagine that you have an area
[00:13:55] between Homs and Aleppo. There
[00:13:58] is, I mean, the line needs maintenance. This line, because
[00:14:01] of this, I mean, it needs to have
[00:14:05] tenders and rehabilitation for this line in this particular
[00:14:08] area. Even the issue of drilling
[00:14:11] wells, I mean, and groundwater, we also
[00:14:15] have a problem here, that
[00:14:18] there has been excessive drilling, and consequently, there have been
[00:14:23] groundwater. Engineering
[00:14:27] and physical and geophysical
[00:14:29] studies have proven that they even
[00:14:33] affect, God forbid, during earthquakes, I mean,
[00:14:36] they affect the issue of seismic activity. If an earthquake occurs, God forbid,
[00:14:40] God forbid, and there
[00:14:44] the geological structure due to aggressions, due to excessive
[00:14:47] drilling, the region will be, I mean,
[00:14:51] truly weak from a physical or geophysical perspective.
[00:14:56] So the importance of having legislation, here certainly comes the role
[00:14:59] of the People's Council. There must be strict legislation
[00:15:04] regard.
[00:15:07] the electrical network or on
[00:15:10] gas pipelines or on fuel
[00:15:14] lines in general or oil, that there should be
[00:15:17] deterrent laws and that there should be a clear legislative environment
[00:15:21] and that there should be, under the supervision of
[00:15:24] the concerned ministries,
[00:15:26] because we also have the implementation
[00:15:30] mechanism for this legislation. And
[00:15:35] only depend, Mr. Ahmed,
[00:15:37] on legislation, but there must be more
[00:15:41] awareness spreading because you know,
[00:15:43] sir, any legislation, if it is not surrounded
[00:15:46] and protected by national awareness
[00:15:50] that this energy in general, the energy file
[00:15:53] in general, whether it is related to oil
[00:15:57] and gas sectors and what is related to them, or electrical energy
[00:16:00] or groundwater, this
[00:16:03] represents a national fortress
[00:16:06] and a national blessing. We must all
[00:16:10] contribute to preserving it, either
[00:16:12] by preserving the infrastructure of electrical networks
[00:16:16] and gas pipelines and even fuel convoys that
[00:16:20] transport, I mean, thank God, so far, in the general
[00:16:24] context, the process of transporting
[00:16:27] Iraqi oil or Iraqi fuel from
[00:16:30] Iraq to Baniyas has not witnessed
[00:16:33] any remarkable incidents that indicate that there
[00:16:36] are aggressions on these convoys. This,
[00:16:40] of course, is a very, very positive indicator that indicates
[00:16:43] the awareness of Syrian citizens. But today,
[00:16:47] ladies and gentlemen, importing any transformer or, for example,
[00:16:50] copper lines
[00:16:53] or electrical insulators is not
[00:16:56] an easy matter. It is not an easy matter. There are
[00:16:58] logistical difficulties, there are engineering difficulties
[00:17:02] in securing the appropriate companies that carry out
[00:17:05] these tenders. In fact,
[00:17:08] every work that the state undertakes requires community
[00:17:12] participation. This community participation falls under
[00:17:15] the category of legislation from one side, but I always link
[00:17:19] legislation with awareness,
[00:17:21] that there should be a contribution, even from our national channels,
[00:17:25] to increase awareness campaigns and clarify this
[00:17:29] legislation. The law here is not just a punitive
[00:17:32] law, Mr. Ahmed. The purpose of applying the law
[00:17:36] is not punishment for those who
[00:17:40] violate or infringe on
[00:17:42] the basic joints, but rather it is to alert people
[00:17:46] and to alert everyone
[00:17:49] that these resources are resources that
[00:17:53] belong to every citizen. They are not only for the state
[00:17:56] in the sense that some might understand that the state is one thing
[00:18:00] and the citizen is another. No, the state and the citizen and these
[00:18:03] properties, in fact, all come together
[00:18:07] to raise the level of service. In the end, we are providing
[00:18:10] a service that the citizen receives, whether it is electrical energy, whether
[00:18:14] it is, for example, gas stations, whether it is groundwater.
[00:18:18] matter is very important and very essential. Also, the issue
[00:18:22] of renewable energy, and I thank many
[00:18:26] of the deputies who focused on the issue of renewable
[00:18:28] energies and their importance in the new
[00:18:32] Syria, Mr. Ahmed. There are areas and villages
[00:18:35] entirely and rural areas entirely that depend
[00:18:41] solar energy.
[00:18:43] matter, even though the initial costs of these
[00:18:46] systems may be high, but
[00:18:50] it reduces the cost at some point for the citizen, and at the same
[00:18:54] time, it reduces the energy bill that is
[00:18:58] borne, I mean,
[00:19:01] by the Ministry of Energy in
[00:19:03] securing liquidity
[00:19:05] to operate power stations and secure
[00:19:09] electricity for citizens. In fact, it is an integrated
[00:19:13] legislative, national, awareness-raising system
[00:19:16] that all work together. The main goal is to
[00:19:19] make the issue of energy an issue related to
[00:19:22] national sentiment. Stay with me, Dr.
[00:19:25] Musab. Dear viewers, we follow a part of what
[00:19:29] the Minister of Energy said,
[00:19:33] domestic gas range between 1,300
[00:19:36] and 1,500 tons daily, and these quantities
[00:19:39] are currently secured through imports. He revealed the re-activation
[00:19:42] of drilling operations, explaining that the drilling work carried out
[00:19:46] amounted to about 4,840
[00:19:49] meters, in addition to repairing 21 wells
[00:19:52] and drilling 10 new
[00:19:54] wells.
[00:19:56] Gas production was about 6 million cubic meters of gas. Of course,
[00:20:00] Syria's gas need is 24 million cubic meters
[00:20:04] to operate all our currently ready stations. Today we have
[00:20:07] 6 million, meaning a quarter, excuse me, we used to produce 6, we raised it to
[00:20:10] 8.1 after we incorporated a part of the Conoco plant. Of course, yesterday it was
[00:20:14] 8.4 on the day we prepared
[00:20:18] Wednesday and Thursday, it was 8, yesterday it was 8.4 or
[00:20:22] 8.5 million cubic meters. Before that, it had reached 9 million, according to the same
[00:20:26] story of oil, closing wells and bringing new wells into service, reactivating
[00:20:29] drilling operations. We drilled about
[00:20:32] four 4,840 meters and brought two drilling rigs into service after
[00:20:36] they were idle and stopped. 21 wells have been
[00:20:39] repaired, and 152 wells have been
[00:20:44] production. This is the balance
[00:20:47] of need, and this is a very important point.
[00:20:50] The balance of need for Syria. We need
[00:20:53] about 30,000 barrels of crude oil
[00:20:57] daily. Our need has grown and increased significantly for several reasons:
[00:21:01] First, the entry of these areas into
[00:21:04] our areas, meaning they started receiving petroleum derivatives through the Ministry
[00:21:07] of Hasakah, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and others. Second, the halting
[00:21:10] of illegal refineries that were
[00:21:13] the oil that we were receiving from the area east of the Euphrates, which was
[00:21:16] supplying the market with a percentage of five to 10%, depending on
[00:21:20] winter and summer, and so on. The third issue is the growth of demand.
[00:21:24] I mean, today the industrial city in Aleppo started with 900 factories and reached
[00:21:27] 1500. These need energy, they need diesel and fuel for
[00:21:31] operation. The number of cars that were in Syria
[00:21:34] in 2005
[00:21:37] was 2.5 million cars. Today the number of cars
[00:21:40] is 3.6 million cars. Here I would also like to explain a very
[00:21:44] important issue: Syria's production capacity,
[00:21:47] the refining capacity of stations or refineries in Syria.
[00:21:50] How much? The Baniyas refinery, before the shutdown for comprehensive overhaul, was
[00:21:54] about 9,000 to 10,000 barrels
[00:21:56] daily, and the Homs refinery was about 40 to 50 thousand barrels daily. I mean, we used to
[00:22:00] produce an average of 15,000 barrels
[00:22:03] daily. We bring 150,000 barrels. Our need is 30,000 barrels.
[00:22:06] Part of it is local production, and part of it
[00:22:10] is imports. It is imports. So we take it to the refineries.
[00:22:14] These refineries refine 150,000 barrels.
[00:22:17] The remaining deficit is 150,000 barrels. What do I do? We buy petroleum derivatives.
[00:22:21] We buy diesel and gasoline at a rate of
[00:22:24] 150,000 barrels, at a rate. I mean, if I
[00:22:27] had the capacity to refine 30,000 barrels, there would be no need
[00:22:31] to buy derivatives. I would buy 300,000 barrels or 100,000 local production,
[00:22:34] I would buy 200,000 and refine them here, and it would cover the market. There is no need
[00:22:38] to buy derivatives. However, our refining capacity is
[00:22:41] 150,000 barrels. Therefore, we cannot cover the market's need for
[00:22:45] petroleum derivatives without importing diesel
[00:22:48] and gasoline.
[00:22:51] Oil and gas wealth in Syria. We have 78 oil
[00:22:54] fields, 28 gas fields, and a reserve of one billion
[00:22:57] barrels of crude oil and 241, of course, these are based on old
[00:23:00] surveys. We have not yet conducted a current survey. We have recently formed
[00:23:04] a geological committee to survey
[00:23:07] oil and gas and the thermal map for
[00:23:10] geothermal energy, in addition to the issue of power generation through
[00:23:14] geothermal internal heat, and updating the water map
[00:23:18] for groundwater in Syria. This committee is currently working on research
[00:23:21] and contracting with a qualified company. We have received many
[00:23:25] offers and companies, but some issues have certain
[00:23:29] sensitivities, security and other sensitivities. We have postponed the matter
[00:23:32] to form this committee, and now the committee is studying
[00:23:35] the situation of the existing reserves and the new survey process
[00:23:39] for Syria. The reality of the oil and gas sector. At the beginning
[00:23:42] of the liberation, we had 14 fields under our control from the beginning,
[00:23:45] which were west of the Euphrates, and about 140
[00:23:49] wells. In production, Syria's production was only 7,000
[00:23:53] barrels, meaning without east of the Euphrates. At the beginning, these were
[00:23:56] the central region fields and Taim, about 6 million cubic meters
[00:24:00] of average gas production, 6 million cubic meters, and this is a very
[00:24:03] important figure. Gas production was 6 million cubic meters, and I want to
[00:24:07] point out an issue that many questions come to us, as the
[00:24:11] honorable deputy mentioned, regarding contradictory statements and so on. Here
[00:24:14] I want to emphasize that sometimes a person's
[00:24:17] lack of understanding among the public regarding a certain
[00:24:21] issue leads them to believe that this gas is the same as domestic LPG
[00:24:25] gas. Of course, not everyone is a specialist
[00:24:29] or has a culture in energy. When we talk about gas production of 6
[00:24:32] million cubic meters, we are talking about natural gas that
[00:24:36] is used in power plants to generate electrical energy, not
[00:24:39] LPG. Our need for it is approximately 1300 to
[00:24:43] 1500 tons daily, which we are currently importing. We are producing 100 tons.
[00:24:47] This one is called LPG gas. This
[00:24:50] one is called natural gas that is used in power plants,
[00:24:54] so that the speech is clear when we talk about importing
[00:24:57] LPG gas or producing natural
[00:25:01] gas.
[00:25:06] Doctor, I mean, we listened again to what
[00:25:09] the Minister of Energy said before the members
[00:25:13] of the People's Council, but there is a point that Mr.
[00:25:16] Minister Muhammad Al-Bashir talked about regarding the increasing need.
[00:25:20] He talked about the increasing number of factories in the industrial city in Aleppo
[00:25:23] and also, certainly, in all industrial cities in Syria, there was an increase in the number of
[00:25:27] factories, plants, and workshops. He talked about the increasing number
[00:25:30] of cars. Well, from a technical perspective, Doctor, I mean, this increase
[00:25:34] will continue, God willing, I mean, the growth of the Syrian economy
[00:25:38] will be accompanied by an increase in demand
[00:25:41] gas,
[00:25:44] electricity. Will what the Minister mentioned
[00:25:47] in terms of figures in the year
[00:25:50] 2028, Syria's
[00:25:54] economic growth in Syria? Because that is certainly
[00:25:58] also linked to the confidence of investors and large companies that want to,
[00:26:02] I mean, invest in the Syrian market.
[00:26:03] If
[00:26:06] we want to talk, I believe that the speech of His Excellency the Minister
[00:26:09] of Energy takes into account
[00:26:13] the interplay of circumstances, and he said that if you, I mean, if you focus
[00:26:17] with me, he said that if we do not have any, I mean, he even mentioned
[00:26:21] last year that, thank God, there were no circumstances. God forbid, if
[00:26:24] a certain regional circumstance occurs, everything that has happened so
[00:26:27] far, Mr. Ahmed, thank God, Syria has remained
[00:26:31] in a state of, let's say, not entering
[00:26:35] or not being dragged into it by some countries in one way or another or
[00:26:39] provocations. Thank God, the disturbances did not occur
[00:26:42] inside Syria, but Syria is affected by the regional
[00:26:45] environment. What the Minister talked about
[00:26:49] takes into account the evaluation
[00:26:52] process, which is the assessment process for the reality of petroleum
[00:26:56] derivatives and also electrical supply.
[00:26:59] And by the way, I mean, he even mentioned in
[00:27:02] the press conference that preceded last Thursday, do you remember,
[00:27:06] sir? I mean, he mentioned and re-mentioned today
[00:27:09] that 40% of electrical energy goes
[00:27:12] to industrial areas,
[00:27:15] and he mentioned that one example is that one
[00:27:18] factory in Hassya requested
[00:27:21] 80 megawatts. 80 megawatts, ladies and gentlemen, what does
[00:27:25] that mean? It means about 70% of the electricity supply
[00:27:28] for an entire city. electricity. So,
[00:27:31] this is not an easy number. The same applies
[00:27:38] Sheikh Najjar is now being supplied with more than
[00:27:42] 120 megawatts, even on holidays.
[00:27:46] Therefore, I believe that this is based on
[00:27:50] technical studies and evaluations.
[00:27:51] So,
[00:27:54] if things were normal in Syria,
[00:27:57] and Syria, of course, took a natural stance and said
[00:28:01] that we are now open to investments and will not
[00:28:05] enter into any political or military tug-of-war
[00:28:08] that would derail the economic
[00:28:11] and investment path in Syria. So, based on these
[00:28:13] indicators, we return to the issue of optimism,
[00:28:17] and we focus on it
[00:28:19] again. So, if you take the issue of
[00:28:22] electricity, everyone
[00:28:25] who talked about the pricing issue, and I am still reserved about the issue
[00:28:29] of prices, and I hope that it will be reviewed at some point.
[00:28:32] in this matter, but no one can deny
[00:28:36] that the issue of amperes, Mr. Ahmed, has almost
[00:28:40] become a thing of the past in some areas. On the contrary,
[00:28:44] many families have abandoned the idea of subscribing
[00:28:47] to amperes. Why? Because government electricity
[00:28:50] has become noticeable
[00:28:52] and in some areas, it comes for more than 20
[00:28:55] hours. So, that means you have an improving curve
[00:28:59] in energy resources, an improvement.
[00:29:02] It is clear, no one can deny it. But
[00:29:06] what is the problem? The problem is that even oil-exporting
[00:29:09] countries, oil-producing countries, are now
[00:29:12] targeted. For example,
[00:29:15] yesterday, there was a warning that
[00:29:19] in our sister Saudi Arabia, our sister,
[00:29:23] there are warnings. Moscow this morning, as I told
[00:29:26] you a little while ago, targeted some refineries, and these are oil-producing
[00:29:30] countries. So, the problem
[00:29:32] capabilities, but rather you are now linked to a regional
[00:29:35] reality, and this regional reality, in fact,
[00:29:39] has an unknown future. You cannot
[00:29:42] predict how things will go. But
[00:29:46] based on the indicators
[00:29:50] the agreements, I believe that things
[00:29:53] indicate optimism, and God willing, Syria's
[00:29:57] production is always increasing
[00:30:00] because the state has made a sovereign decision
[00:30:03] that the issue of energy and investment
[00:30:06] agreements aims to increase production
[00:30:09] and reach a medium-term
[00:30:13] goal of ensuring real
[00:30:16] security for local
[00:30:18] needs. The Minister spoke about the issue of exports,
[00:30:21] the issue of heavy oil and light oil, the specifications
[00:30:25] of the Baniyas refinery and the specifications of the Homs refinery,
[00:30:28] and he clarified this matter which, at one point,
[00:30:32] some took as an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
[00:30:36] No, things are clear now how, for example, the Homs
[00:30:39] refinery accepts heavy oil, while the Baniyas refinery does not accept
[00:30:43] heavy oil. We have 30,000 barrels that can be converted
[00:30:46] into the electric refineries. They produce diesel from the heavy
[00:30:49] oil or from the heavy
[00:30:52] oil. The remaining 50,000 can be
[00:30:56] exported and replaced with petroleum derivatives.