With oil and gas again placed at the centre of Syria’s economic priorities, officials are framing the sector as a principal channel for financing development and supporting recovery. Years of war, sanctions, corruption, and mismanagement have left infrastructure degraded and capacity constrained, sharpening the urgency of rehabilitation.
In an interview with Al-Thawra, Engineer Youssef Qablawi, Chief Executive Officer of the Syrian Petroleum Company, set out the company’s approach to restructuring the sector, drawing in foreign capital, and mobilising both domestic expertise and returning Syrian specialists. He also outlined the hurdles he believes will determine whether Syria can secure its fuel needs and move towards self-sufficiency.
A New Structure
Qablawi said Syria is undergoing significant changes, pointing in particular to the lifting of United States sanctions imposed under the Caesar Act, which he argued has created an opening for international companies to re-engage.
He also described a restructuring of the oil sector’s administrative architecture. This process, he said, began with consolidating several former ministries under a single Ministry of Energy, and culminated in Legislative Decree No. 189, issued last summer, establishing a Syrian holding company to manage the industry.
Under this framework, Qablawi said, the Syrian Petroleum Company has become the entity responsible for regulating the full chain of petroleum activity, from upstream operations to downstream processing, including transport pipelines, with direct oversight of operational components. In his view, the aim is to centralise decision-making, streamline procedures, and make the sector more attractive to investment partners.
The Effect of Lifting Sanctions
Qablawi said the impact on foreign engagement was immediate. Since the beginning of last month, he claimed, the Syrian Petroleum Company’s headquarters has received representatives of more than ninety foreign and Arab companies expressing interest in returning to Syria or entering the market.
Among the examples he cited was the Croatian company INA, which, he said, discussed reactivating service contracts in fields it previously operated. He also referred to firms that had contracted with subsidiaries such as Al-Furat, Dijla, and Hayyan, arguing that the renewed interest suggests investors still see opportunities despite extensive war-related damage.
Human Capital
Alongside the investment pitch, Qablawi emphasised what he described as the resilience and capability of Syrian technical cadres. He pointed to the repair of the “National” drilling rig, which he said was completed entirely by Syrian engineers and technicians despite sanctions-related shortages of spare parts.
He also highlighted the return of Syrian expatriate experts with experience in major international oil companies. According to Qablawi, the company receives CVs from returning specialists on a daily basis, with a number already appointed to senior positions.
Current Production
Qablawi provided a snapshot of current output, while acknowledging political and geographic constraints.
He said Syria’s total oil production is about 100,000 barrels per day, of which only 10,000 barrels per day are under government control. The remaining 90,000 barrels per day, he said, comes from the north-eastern region, where a portion of output is, in his words, unstable or not fully under control.
On gas, he said state-controlled areas produce 7.6 million cubic metres per day, supplemented by 3 million cubic metres per day supplied as a Qatari grant from Azerbaijan and used directly to run power plants. Household gas production, he added, stands at 180 tonnes per day.
Qablawi said the government currently relies on maritime imports of crude oil and household gas to meet domestic needs.
Refining
In refining, Qablawi said the Baniyas refinery is the only facility currently operating at full scale, processing 95,000 barrels per day against a design capacity of 110,000 barrels per day, and relying on imported light crude.
The Homs refinery, he added, is undergoing extensive maintenance across its units despite equipment constraints and difficult operating conditions. Current output, he said, is around 30,000 barrels per day, with increases expected as subsequent maintenance phases are completed.
He also said companies have submitted proposals to build a new refinery in the Furqlus area east of Homs, with a planned capacity of 150,000 barrels per day.
Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding
Qablawi said agreements have been signed with Saudi companies including ADES, TAQA, Arkaz, and Arab Drilling, under the supervision of the energy ministries in both countries, to develop gas fields. He claimed projections point to a 25 per cent increase in natural gas production within the first six months, rising to 50 per cent after one year of ADES operations.
He also referred to a memorandum of understanding with ConocoPhillips to develop gas fields in eastern Syria and explore new prospects along a corridor stretching from Saddad in the Homs countryside to Deir Ali in rural Damascus.
In addition, Qablawi said work continues in the central region and in Al-Bukamal and Deir ez-Zor, alongside efforts to reactivate partnership contracts that were suspended during the war and sanctions period.
On offshore prospects, he said the Syrian Petroleum Company, in the presence of President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, discussed in mid-December a memorandum of understanding related to Chevron’s investment in five offshore petroleum blocks. He described these blocks as containing internationally significant oil and gas reserves, calling the move unprecedented in Syria’s state investment record.
Qablawi said he expects a noticeable rise in oil and gas production by 2026, expressing hope that Syria can reach fuel self-sufficiency “as soon as possible”.
A Roadmap, and the Obstacles Ahead
Qablawi framed the recovery plan around three pillars: administrative centralisation, attracting foreign investment after sanctions relief, and leveraging local and returning expertise. Any increase in production, he argued, would materially strengthen domestic energy supply and restore the sector’s role in the national economy.
He also acknowledged that the obstacles remain substantial, pointing first to geopolitics, as control over reserves and current production in the north-east continues to be the central constraint and makes self-sufficiency contingent on resolving that question; second to security and infrastructure, since fields and facilities require major investment to restore them after years of war and sabotage in an environment that remains fragile in several areas; and third to finance and investor confidence, because converting expressions of interest into signed contracts and meaningful capital inflows, he argued, depends on deeper political and legal stability and guarantees that reassure international companies against future volatility.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
