ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian authorities began restoring operations at one of three power plants knocked offline after a gas pipeline explosion east of Damascus on Wednesday night, days after another pipeline blast in eastern Syria that authorities blamed on sabotage.
The explosion struck a gas line at the Tishreen Thermal Power Plant in the eastern Damascus countryside, cutting supplies needed to operate the Tishreen, Deir Ali and Nasiriyah power stations, according to the Syrian Electricity Company.
The company said the shutdown would temporarily reduce electricity generation and increase power rationing as a result of the lost generating capacity.
By early Thursday, Syria’s energy ministry said technical teams had begun gradually restoring pressure to the Arab Gas Pipeline between Adra and Deir Ali in preparation for returning the Deir Ali station to service. Teams were also inspecting the other affected plants to determine the extent of any damage.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said authorities had not determined whether it resulted from a technical failure or an act of sabotage.
“We don't know what the reason was, whether it was a technical failure or whether [the station] was targeted in a sabotage act,” Bashir said.
The blast came two days after an explosion and fire struck a gas pipeline between al-Shula and Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria. The Syrian Petroleum Company attributed that incident to an “act of sabotage,” saying the explosion occurred at a sectional valve and halted gas supplies from the Jbessa plant to power stations.
Firefighters extinguished the Deir ez-Zor blaze on Tuesday. The petroleum company said no injuries were recorded and repairs could take between seven and 10 days, temporarily reducing gas supplies by around 900,000 cubic metres.
Eleven teams of the Syrian Civil Defense teams, known as the White Helmets, from Damascus and its countryside responded to the Wednesday night fire, head of Operations Units at the Emergency Directorate of the Damascus Countryside, Amir Dharifah, told SANA
“Civil defense teams worked for a long time to bring the fire under control completely. Two plant workers were injured in the fire. They have been transported to the nearest hospital for medical care,” Dhafer told SANA.
