BEIRUT: Qatar is set to provide Syria with gas via Jordan to improve the nation’s meagre electricity supply and boost Syria’s new rulers, in a move that a US official said had Washington’s approval.
It would be the most significant tangible support for the new administration in Damascus by Qatar, one of the region’s sternest opponents of the now-deposed Bashar Assad and strongest backers of the rebels-turned rulers who replaced him.
A US official said the gas deal had a nod of approval from President Donald Trump’s administration without saying how this was communicated.
Qatar’s state news agency later said an agreement had been signed between Qatar’s development fund and Jordan’s energy ministry to provide Damascus with “an approved supply of natural gas” via Jordan to help address Syria’s electricity shortage, without mentioning Syria’s new rulers or Washington.
Qatar’s fund will provide Jordan’s energy ministry with a grant to supply Syria with the gas, the fund told Reuters in an email.
Jordanian energy minister Saleh Al-Kharabsheh told Jordan’s state news agency the initiative would be fully funded by Qatar’s fund.
The gas will be received at Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba and pumped to Syria via the Arab Gas Pipeline, Jordanian energy minister Al-Kharabsheh said.
A segment of the pipeline runs from Aquaba north across Jordan to Syria.
The US green light and efforts to encourage a deal between Kurdish forces in Syria’s north and Damascus suggest the US remains actively engaged in Syria, despite Washington moving more cautiously than European states to ease sanctions.
The gas would be transferred from Jordan via a pipeline to the Deir Ali power plant in southern Syria, two of the sources said.
The move will initially boost the Deir Ali power plant’s output by 400 megawatts per day, an amount that would “gradually increase,” according to the Qatari fund’s statement.
Estimates of Syria’s recent power capacity range up to around 4,000 MW.
The US State Department and Qatar’s foreign ministry did not respond to emailed requests for comment.
Syria suffers from severe power shortages, with state-supplied electricity available just two or three hours a day in most areas. Damage to the electricity grid means that generating or supplying more power is only part of the problem.
Damascus used to receive the bulk of its oil for power generation from Iran, but supplies have been cut off since Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham led the ouster of Tehran-allied former president Assad in December.
The interim government has pledged to quickly ramp up power supply, partly by importing electricity from Jordan and using floating power barges that have yet to arrive.
According to two further sources with knowledge of the matter, Jordan has received US approval to move forward with the supply of up to 250 MW of electricity during non-peak hours.
However, Syria still needs to make fixes to its electricity grid and solve other technical issues before the supply, expected at around 250 megawatts during non-peak hours, can begin, the sources said.
“The internal network in Syria is not yet ready to receive this and needs a significant amount of work. Additionally, some matters are still unclear about financing of the agreement,” said Ibrahim Seif, a former Jordanian minister of energy and mineral resources.
US and Jordanian officials did not respond to requests for comment on the plan.
Qatar to provide gas to Syria via Jordan
https://arab.news/538bf
Qatar to provide gas to Syria via Jordan
- US official says the gas deal had a nod of approval from President Donald Trump’s administration
- Agreement signed between Qatar’s development fund and Jordan’s energy ministry to provide Damascus with 'an approved supply of natural gas'
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
