For Syria, Qatar's $7 billion power plan hinges on fixing its grid

3/6/2025 6:25

Qatar has pledged to help war-torn Syria rebuild, but its $7 billion plans for new power plants will mean little unless Damascus can stop armed gangs from looting power cables faster than the cash-strapped government can fix them.



The deal announced last week by an international consortium led by Qatar's UCC Holdings promises to massively expand Syria's generation capacity.



It marks Syria's biggest foreign investment announcement since President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Damascus last month.



For the Islamists who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, it is a vital step towards getting Syria's infrastructure back on its feet, as they seek to revive the economy and offer hope to a population exhausted by 14 years of conflict.



But for Syrians to feel the benefit, the government must first fix the transmission grid. Years of neglect have left the sprawling network of transformer stations and towers stripped as looters continue to steal cables and other components.