Syria raises electricity tariffs by 60%, keeps power ties with Rojava

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Syrian government has raised electricity rates by 60 percent, a Damascus official confirmed to Rudaw, citing the need to cover rising electricity production and network maintenance costs. The official also reaffirmed ongoing cooperation with the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) in the power dossier.

Khaled Abu Di, Director-General of Syria’s Public Establishment for Electricity Transmission and Distribution, stated Sunday that his country currently provides electricity for only seven to eight hours per day due to fuel shortages.

“Our generating capacity is around 3,500 to 5,000 megawatts [MW], but currently we cannot produce more than 2,200 MW because of limited fuel,” Abu Di explained. He linked the fuel shortage directly to the recent tariff adjustments, emphasizing the need for revenue to fund imported gas and fuel oil.

He further elaborated that “previously, electricity cost 10 Syrian Pounds [around $0.0009] per kWh. Today, the tariff starts at 600 Syrian Pounds [about $0.05] per kWh. This is a very large increase, but cannot frame it as a simple percentage rise. We can say that the electricity tariff was subsidized by 60 percent.”

Consumption beyond this threshold is billed at 1,400 Syrian Pounds [approximately $0.12] per kWh, which Abu Di noted remains below the actual production cost.

The Syrian official also explained that the primary purpose of the tariff adjustment is to enable longer electricity supply hours. “Increasing supply hours requires increasing generation, which in turn requires more gas and fuel. These fuels are imported, not locally produced, so revenue is needed to cover production costs,” he said.

The new electricity tariff hike has sparked widespread discontent among Syrians, particularly those with limited incomes.

Ahmed Alish, a resident of Damascus, told Rudaw, “People are barely making ends meet. My retirement salary is 300,000 Syrian pounds [around $27], and if it weren’t for my son’s support, I would be living in misery.” He urged the Damascus government to take into account the struggles of ordinary Syrians, saying the concern should extend beyond electricity tariffs to all aspects of daily life.

Ties with Rojava

On electricity coordination with the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria governing Rojava, Abu Di told Rudaw, “We have very good communication. We also have an exchange of electricity between the areas of north and east Syria and the government-controlled areas.”

The Syrian official explained that the primary goal of this cooperation “is to secure electric power for essential services, whether to cover water needs, electricity, or humanitarian services such as hospitals and bakeries.”

Abu Di noted that the exchange takes place at the al-Thawra Dam - also known as the Tabqa Dam - located in the north-central Raqqa province, largely under Kurdish administration

Critical for managing water resources, the arrangement is designed “to reduce reliance on the Tabqa Dam for electricity generation, preserving the water level to prevent it from reaching dangerous levels or negatively affecting the dam’s structure,” he said.

Vivian Fatah contributed to this report.