With proven oil reserves expected to last only about 10 more
years and a population growing at 4% per year, Syria may become a net importer
of oil within the next decade. Thus, the exploration for oil and natural gas is
a top priority in Syria. Note: The information contained in this report is the best available as of
March 2000 and can change.
In recent years, Syria has moved extremely slowly and cautiously towards a
more market-based system. For the most part, however, as of early 2000, large
state corporations continue to control all strategic sectors, including oil,
electricity, banking, and chemicals. In December 1997, Syria decided to begin
negotiations with the European Union (EU) regarding a possible association
agreement. This agreement could take many years to conclude, and will require
significant changes in the Syrian economy. In January 2000, an EU delegation
urged Syria to carry out real economic reforms and offered Syria the possibility
of an association agreement with the EU. In 1991, Syria passed Investment Law No. 10, encouraging foreign and Syrian
private investment through a combination of tax and custom exemptions, the right
to repatriate profits and relaxation of foreign exchange controls. Private
investors, with financial backing from the Gulf states, have been expanding into
various sectors of industry. This has encouraged the development of textiles,
pharmaceuticals, food-processing and other light industries, many built by
wealthy Syrians from abroad. On the Arab-Israeli peace front, President Clinton met with President Asad on
March 26, 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland, but according to White House spokesman
Joe Lockhart, "the differences are significant" and "it is impossible to predict
when [Syrian-Israeli] talks might resume." Syria has demanded that Israel return
the entire strategic Golan Heights, captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel has
demanded guarantees on security, continued access to water resources in the Sea
of Galilee, and normalization of bilateral relations. In a related development,
in early March 2000 Israel's cabinet voted unanimously to pull its troops out of
the narrow southern strip of Lebanon it considers its "security zone," by July
2000. Syria, with 30,000 troops stationed there, is the main power broker in
Lebanon. Syria's relations with Iraq appear to have improved somewhat over the past
few years. In June 1997, Syria reopened its border with Iraq for businessmen,
and since then a series of trade delegations has traveled between the two
countries. In March 1998, Syria's Health Minister visited Iraq, the first visit
by a Syrian Cabinet member since the two countries broke ties in 1980. This
followed an exchange of trade delegations in May 1997. Also, on July 14, 1998,
Syria and Iraq signed a memoradum of understanding on reopening an important oil
pipeline -- closed in 1982 -- from northern Iraqi oil fields to Syria's
Mediterranean port of Banias (see below for more details). Finally, on February
27, 2000, Iraq opened an interests section in Syria -- the first direct
bilateral diplomatic link in over 19 years. OIL Oil is critical to Syria's economy, accounting for 55%-60% of Syria's total
export earnings and more than one-third of its GDP. Syria currently exports
Syrian Light, a blend of light and sweet crudes produced primarily from the Deir
ez-Zour and Ash Sham fields, and heavy Suwaidiyah crude produced from the Soudie
and Jebisseh fields. The country also exports fuel oil and other products. Syria
is a member of OAPEC (the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries),
although not of OPEC. Syria's main oil producer (by far) is al-Furat Petroleum Co. (AFPC) a joint
venture established in May 1985 between state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company, or
SPC (50% share), Pecten Syria Petroleum (15.625%), plus foreign partners Royal
Dutch/Shell (15.625%) and Germany's Deminex (18.75%). AFPC's fields are located
in the northeastern Syria -- particularly the Deir ez-Zour region, where
commercial quantities of oil were discovered in the late 1980s -- and are
producing about 400,000 bbl/d of high quality light crude. In 1996, AFPC began a 5-year production cutback schedule of 10,000 bbl/d
annually, but production has fallen even faster. Production from fields run by
SPC peaked in the late 1970s at more than 165,000 bbl/d. SPC's fields include: 1) Karatchuk -- Syria's first discovery, located near
the border with Iraq and Turkey; 2) Suwaidiyah -- a giant heavy oil field
located south of Karatchuk in the Hassakeh region (and extending into
northwestern Iraq) which currently produces around 150,000 bbl/d, and for which
Elf Aquitaine has bid for a contract ot enhance oil recovery; 3) Jibsah -- a
major field producing both oil and gas; 4) Rumailan -- a small field near
Suwaidiyah which produces heavy oil; and 5) Alian, Tishreen, and Gbebeh -- three
small, depleting fields producing heavy oil. Other major Syrian oil fields include Maleh, Qahar, Sijan, Azraq, and Tanak.
Jafra, discovered in late 1991, was first expected to have potential for more
than 60,000 bbl/d in production. Currently, Jafra is producing only 20,000
bbl/d, however. Besides conventional oil reserves, Syria also has major shale
oil deposits in several locations, mainly the Yarmouk Valley stretching into
Jordan. With oil supplies expected to deplete in the next 5-10 years, Syria is
concentrating on development and exploration initiatives. Oil exploration
activity in Syria has been slow in recent years due to unattractive contract
terms by SPC, and poor exploration results. For these reasons, only four
companies (Elf, Shell, Deminex, and Marathon) out of 14 operating in the country
in 1991 remain in Syria at present. However, under pressure from Shell and Elf
Aquitaine, Syria has begun to take a more flexible approach to foreign oil
contracts, demonstrated by the publication of a favorable consortium agreement
which is likely to attract other foreign companies. Despite a recent increase in exploration activity, only about 36% of Syria's
estimated 800 potential oil and gas structures have been drilled. No major new
oil reserves have been discovered since around 1992. Without significant new
discoveries in the next few years, Syrian and foreign oil company officials
(including Shell, the main foreign operator) believe that the country could
become a net oil importer in the next 10 years or so. The last time Syria was a
net oil importer was in 1987; Syria bought from Iraq until April 1982, when it
switched to Iran as an ally and oil supplier and closed the 1.1-1.4
million-bbl/d-capacity IPC pipeline from Kirkuk to Banias. Refining/Downstream Syria markets all of its crude oil, including that produced by foreign
companies, solely through state marketing company Sytrol. Prices for Syrian
Light and Suwaidiyah blends are tied to the price of dated Brent and are
adjusted monthly. At present, Sytrol has term contracts with more than 20
companies, including Agip, Bay Oil, Chevron, Conoco, Marc Rich, OeMV, Total,
Veba. In November 1999, Royal Dutch/Shell signed a contract to purchase at least
16,000 bbl/d from Syria starting in 2000. Shell had cancelled a previous
purchase agreement in 1997, when it was buying 35,000 bbl/d of heavy and light
crude oil. Since January 1994, Sytrol has had a clause in its term contracts
prohibiting customers from re-selling Syrian crudes without written permission
from Sytrol. This is intended to curb spot trading in Syrian crudes and
especially sales to Israel. Syria's major oil export terminals are at Banias and Tartous on the
Mediterranean, with a small tanker terminal at Latakia. Banias can accommodate
tankers up to 210,000 dead weight tons (dwt), and has a storage capacity of
437,000 tons of oil in 19 tanks. Tartous can take tankers up to 100,000 dwt, and
is connected via a pipeline to the Banias terminal. Latakia can handle oil
tankers up to 50,000 dwt. All three terminals are operated by the Syrian Company
for Oil Transport (SCOT), a sister of SPC. SCOT also is in charge of Syria's pipelines, including: 1) a 250,000-bbl/d
export line from SPC's northeastern fields to the Tartous terminal, with a
connection to the Homs refinery; 2) a 500,000-tons/year refined products
pipeline system linking Homs refinery to Damascus, Aleppo, and Latakia; 3) a
100,000-bbl/d spur line from al-Thayyem and other fields to the T-2 pumping
station on the old Iraqi Petroleum Company (IPC) pipeline; 4) a spur line from
the al-Ashara and al-Ward fields to the T-2 pumping station. On July 14, 1998, Syria and Iraq signed a momoradum of understanding on
reopening the IPC pipeline, which links the Kirkuk oil fields in northern Iraq
with Syria's port of Banias on the Mediterrean. The 552-mile, 1.1-1.4
million-bbl/d pipeline was closed in 1982 after a break in diplomatic ties, then
severely damaged during the 1991 Gulf War. Besides IPC, the Syrian-Iraqi
memorandum provided for construction of a new pipeline through Syrian territory
to transport Syrian Light crude from the Deir ez-Zour field to the Banias
terminal, and for a joint 140,000-bbl/d refinery at Banias to handle the blend
of Iraqi and Syrian crude being pumped through the pipeline. In early March
2000, both the Iraqi and Syrian sections of the IPC pipeline reportedly were
ready for operation, and Syria was using parts of it to transport its own crude
oil (Iraqi oil exports through the pipeline would require U.N. Security Council
approval) to Mediterranean terminals. In the meantime, press reports have
indicated that Iraqi oil is being smuggled into Syria by truck. NATURAL GAS In 1998, Syria produced about 208 billion cubic feet of natural gas, an
approximately five-fold increase over the past decade. Syria plans to increase
this production even further in coming years, as part of a strategy to
substitute natural gas for oil in power generation in order to free up as much
oil as possible for export. A number of new gas-fired power projects are
currently under construction or being planned. Another possible source of
natural gas is imports -- possibly from Egypt via a subsea Mediterranean
pipeline, which would connect Egypt with Israel and Gaza, with the possibility
of eventual links to Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. A key challenge for the Syrian natural gas industry is logistical, with gas
reserves located mainly in northeastern Syria, while population is centered in
western and southern Syria. SPC currently is working to increase Syria's gas
production through several projects. The Palmyra area in central Syria is the
site of much of this activity, including development of the Al Arak gas field,
which came onstream at the end of 1995. Other gas fields in the Palmyra area
include Al Hail and Al Dubayat, both of which are "sweet gas", and two "sour
gas" fields -- Najib and Sokhne. Syria is attempting to expand output at Najib
through its central area gas project. In October 1997, Syria announced discovery of a large new gas field in the
Abi Rabah area of the Palmyra region. In addition to supplying a new (completed
in 1997), 375-megawatt, power plant at Zaisoun in central Syria, the Palmyra
fields also are to be linked with a new pipeline to Aleppo, as well as to the
Tishreen power plant in Damascus and the Mhardeh power plant in Homs. Najib, the
fourth and final field to be developed in the Palmyra region, was due to start
production in late 1999 at a capacity of 100 mmcf/d. In August, 1998, the Arab
Petroleum Investments Corporation announced that it would lend $50 million to
the development of a new gas field in the north Palmya area, as well as partial
financing of a new gas plant at Najib and Zara. The loan will be allocated to
finance gas projects being executed by SPC. Syria's Jibsah gas treatment plant, which came online in 1988, accounts for
more than one-quarter of the country's total gas processing capacity. Jibsah's
capacity was increased 88% in a project completed during the first half of 1997,
and now is being increased again (to 105 mmcf/d from 60 mmcf/d currently). Other
Syrian gas processing plants include: the Deir ez-Zour Gas Treatment Plant
(since 1991); the Jafra Gas Separation Plant (late 1996); and the Palmyra Gas
Processing Plant (late 1996). In November 1998, Syria Petroleum Company signed a $430-million service
agreement with Conoco (the only U.S. oil company currently operating in Syria)
and Elf Aquitaine of France to utilize associated gas, now flared, in the Deir
ez-Zour oil fields (which currently produce 467 mmcf/d of gas). Elf Aquitaine
and Conoco each hold 50% interest in the project, with Conoco as lead operator.
In March 2000, the two companies awarded Kvaerner ENC a $160-million contract to
engineer, procure, and construct infrastructure for the project. The Deir
ez-Zour gas development work will include the construction of a gas gathering
system and processing plant, and a 155-mile pipeline that will carry 150 mmcf/d
of residual gas to the national grid near Palmyra that serves western Syria. Gas
also will be reinjected into Elf's Tabiyeh field to enhance condensate recovery.
Initial construction is set to begin in late March 2000. Elf Aquitaine announced
that it is also considering joining a project to build a $175-million,
105-mmcf/d pipeline that would supply power stations in Lebanon with natural gas
from Syria. As increased volumes of natural gas feedstock become available, and given
abundant phosphate reserves, Syria is adding capacity to produce fertilizer. At
present, Syria has two nitrogenous fertilizer plants and one phosphate-based
unit, both located at Homs. Syria also has plans for significant further
expansion in fertilizer production, including a 450,000-ton-per-year nitrogenous
complex near the northeastern town of Hasaka. This plant would utilize gas from
the Omar field. In addition, a 500,000-ton-per-year triple-super-phosphate plant
is being constructed near Palmyra by Bechtel and Makad International.
ELECTRIC POWER While power generation capacity in Syria now appears adequate, the country's
power distribution network remains a problem. Transmission losses are estimated
as high as 25% of total generated capacity due to a variety of factors including
poor quality wires and transformer stations. As of March 2000, a project to link the electric power grids of Syria,
Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq continues to move forward. In September 1999,
Jordan and Syria agreed to formally connect their power grids via 400-kilovolt
cable in December 1999. In March 1999, Jordan linked its power grid with Egypt's
through an underwater cable in the Red Sea. In August, 1998 Turkey reported that
its 115-mile transmission line from the Ataturk Dam to the border region with
Syria was completed, but that the elecricity could not be provided due to
Syria's delayed construction on the connecting grid. In June 1999, Syria and
Iran signed a protocol on electric power cooperation between the two countries.
As part of its strategy to save oil for hard currency exports, Syria has
plans to build several natural gas, combined-cycle power plants, and to convert
the country's major oil-fired plants to natural gas. Already, the share of
natural gas in Syria's electric generation capacity mix has increased from 0.1%
in 1982 to about 25% in 1995. Two of Syria's largest power stations -- the
Mahrada and Banias plants -- have been converted from fuel oil to natural gas in
recent years. Gas for these two plants comes from the Palmyra fields. Syria also
plans to increase gas usage at the dual capacity (fuel oil or natural gas)
Tishreen power plant. Gas for Tishreen is to come from the Omar treatment plant.
In addition to these plants, Suwaidiyah Station II had five new gas turbines
installed in 1989, while Suwaidiyah I operates mainly on associated gas from
nearby fields. In November 1999, Red Electrica de Espana SA said that it had won
a contract to manage Syria's power sector. On May 19, 1999, the director-general of Syria's Atomic Energy Commisssion
signed an agreement with Russia on cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear
power, including construction of two nuclear reactors in Syria. On February 23,
1998, Syria and Russia had signed an agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear
energy, and in July, 1998 the two countries had agreed on a timetable for a
25-MW light-water nuclear research center project in Syria with the
participation of Russia's Atomstroyeksport and Nikiet.
RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS
Following two years of recession caused by low oil
prices and a severe drought, Syria's economy is expected to resume growth in
2000, while inflation remains subdued. For 2000, Syria's real gross domestic
product (GDP) is forecast to grow by 2.2%, with consumer price inflation at
2.5%. Sharply higher oil prices and a recovering agricultural sector are the
main factors in this turnaround. With its rapidly rising population (around 4%
per year), however, it is estimated that Syria needs real GDP growth of close to
5% annually in order to make significant economic progress. Syria's economy
continues to be hurt by low investment levels, fiscal imbalances and distortions
(such as subsidies), an overvalued currency at the fixed exchange rate (for
"essential" transactions), high levels of foreign debt, a hard currency
shortage, falling exports, and other problems. According to the Syrian
government, the country's unemployment rate is 5%, although according to foreign
diplomats, the rate is possibly three times as high. In March 2000, a new
cabinet was appointed by President Asad, including a new Prime Minister
(Mohammad Mustafa Miro). Many key cabinet officials, however, retained their
posts in this cabinet reshuffle.
Syria's oil industry
faces many challenges in the years to come. Oil output and production continues
to decline due to technological problems, depletion of oil reserves and low oil
prices. Starting in the mid-1980s and into the 1990s, oil production increased
dramatically, peaking at 604,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) in 1996. Since then,
Syria's oil output has fallen steadily, to an estimated average for 1999 of
546,000 bbl/d, as older fields, especially the 140,000-bbl/d Jebisseh field
discovered in 1968, have reached maturity. Production is expected to continue
its decline over the next several years, while consumption rises, leading to a
reduction in Syrian net oil exports.
AFPC's main oil field is
al-Thayyem, although production there has been declining since 1991. Another
important field -- Omar/Omar North -- began production in February 1989 at
55,000 bbl/d. Shortly thereafter, operator Shell was pressed by the
cash-strapped Syrian government to step up production (against Shell's advice)
to 100,000 bbl/d. The result was serious reservoir damage, and in April 1989,
output plummeted to 30,000 bbl/d. Currently, Omar produces about 15,000 bbl/d
from natural pressure and 30,000 bbl/d from water injection. Other al-Furat
fields include al-Izba (light oil), Maleh (34o API gravity oil),
Sijan, and Tanak.
Syria's two refineries are located at
Banias and Homs. Total current production from these refineries is 242,140 bbl/d
(135,000 bbl/d and 107,140 bbl/d, respectively). Syria is planning to construct
a third refinery, with an initial capacity of 60,000 bbl/d (possibly increasing
to 120,000 bbl/d), at Deir ez-Zour to supply products to the eastern part of the
country. A feasibility study on this project reportedly was completed in January
1998. In addition, Syria plans to upgrade its two current refineries, both of
which are in urgent need of overhauling, to replace output of fuel oil with
light products. As of late 1999, however, these plans were on hold, at least for
the short term. Syria also has agreed (in August 1997) to increase cooperation
with Lebanon in the oil products area, with Syrian specialists slated to conduct
a study of Tripoli's refinery.
Syria's proven natural gas reserves
are estimated at 8.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Most (around three-quarters) of
these reserves are owned by SPC, including about 3.6 Tcf in the Palmyra area,
1.6 Tcf at the al-Furat fields, 1.2 Tcf at Suwaidiyah, 0.8 Tcf at Jibsah, 0.7
Tcf at Deir ez-Zour, and the remainder at al-Hol, al-Ghona, and Marqada. About
half of Syria's gas is non-associated, with the rest either associated (with
oil) or "cap" gas. In June 1999, a new gas field, called North al-Faydh,
reportedly was discovered by SPC. The field reportedly has production potential
of 35 million cubic feet per day (mmcf/d).
As of 1998, total installed
Syrian electric generating capacity was 4.4 gigawatts (GW). This total includes
the new Aleppo power plant, which came online during 1997. With Syrian electric
power demand growing at about the same pace as the economy, adding electricity
supply capacity is an important national priority. In September 1993, with Syria
suffering a severe electricity shortage, President Asad declared that a secure
supply of electricity was the right of every Syrian. As a result of Asad's
decree, existing power stations have undergone maintenance and three new
generating plants have been built, with three more (the 600-MW al-Zara gas/oil
plant, the 300-MW Zeizoun plant, and the 630-MW Tishreen hydro station) planned
by 2000.
Sources for this report include: Agence France Presse; AP Worldstream; BBC
Summary of World Broadcasts; CIA World Factbook 1999; Dow Jones News Wire
service; Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire; Middle East Economic Digest;
Mideast Mirror; Petroleum Intelligence Weekly; U.S. Energy Information
Administration; WEFA Middle East Economic Outlook.
Head of
State: President Hafiz al-Asad (re-elected 2/11/99 to a fifth, 7-year term,
with 99.98% of the vote)
Prime Minister: Mohammad Mustafa Miro
Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
French administration)
Population (7/99E): 17.2 million (3.2% growth
rate)
Location/Size: Middle East, at eastern end of the Mediterranean
Sea, between Turkey and Lebanon/71,498 sq. miles (slightly larger than North
Dakota)
Major Cities: Damascus (capital), Aleppo, Latakia, Homs
Languages: Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian,
French widely understood
Ethnic Groups: Arab 90.3%; Kurd, Armenian,
other 9.7%
Religion: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other
Muslim sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in
Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Defense (8/98E): Army (320,000),
Navy (5,000), Air Force (40,000), Air Defense Command (60,000), Army Reserves
(400,000), Air Force Reserves (92,000), Navy Reserves (8,000). An estimated
30,000 Syrian troops are deployed in Lebanon.
ECONOMIC OVERVIEW
Currency: Syrian Pound
Exchange Rates (3/99): $1 = 41.85 Syrian pounds ("neighboring country
rate"); $1= 11.23 Syrian pounds (official rate); $1 = 50 Syrian pounds (rate in
Beirut market)
Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP - Market Exchange Rates,
3/99) 1998E): $10.3 billion
Real GDP Growth Rate (1999E): -1.5%
(2000E): 2.2%
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices, 1999E): -0.5%
(2000E): 2.5%
Unemployment Rate (1998E): 5% (official
statistic); 15% (unofficial estimate)
Merchandise Exports (1999E):
$3.3 billion
Merchandise Imports (1999E): $3.2 billion
Merchandise Trade Balance (1999E): $71 million
Major Trading
Partners: Germany, Italy, Lebanon, France, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Spain
Major Export Products: Petroleum, textiles, cotton, fruits and
vegetables, animals and meat.
Major Import Products: Machinery, food,
transport equipment, chemicals and metal and metal equipment
Oil Export
Revenues (1998E):$1.5 billion to $4.1 billion
Oil Export
Revenues/Total Export Revenues (1999E): 55%-60%
Foreign Debt
(1999E): $22.6 billion
ENERGY OVERVIEW
Minister of Petroleum and Mineral
Wealth: Mohammed Mahir Husni Jamal
Minister of Electricity: Muib
Asaad Saim Al-Daher
Proven Oil Reserves (1/1/00E): 2.5 billion
barrels
Oil Production (1999E): 546,000 barrels per day (bbl/d), of
which 538,000 bbl/d was crude oil
Oil Consumption (1999E): 261,000
bbl/d
Net Oil Exports (1999E): 285,000 bbl/d
Crude Oil
Refining Capacity (1/1/00E): 242,140 bbl/d
Major Crude Oil
Customer: European Community
Major Ports: Latakia, Banias, Tartus
Natural Gas Reserves (1/1/00E): 8.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf)
Natural Gas Production/Consumption (1998E): 208 billion cubic feet
(Bcf)
Electric Generation Capacity (1998E): 4.4 million kilowatts
Electric Generation (1998E): 17.5 billion kilowatthours (57%
hydroelectric, 43% hydroelectric)
ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW
Minister of State for
Environmental Affairs: Abd al-Hamid Munajjid
Total Energy Consumption
(1998E): 0.8 quadrillion Btu* (0.2% of world total energy consumption)
Energy-Related Carbon Emissions (1998E): 13.0 million metric tons of
carbon (0.2% of world carbon emissions)
Per Capita Energy Consumption
(1998E): 53.0 million Btu (vs. U.S. value of 350.7 million Btu)
Per
Capita Carbon Emissions (1998E): 0.8 metric tons of carbon (vs. U.S. value
of 5.5 metric tons of carbon)
Energy Intensity (1998E): 23,400 Btu/
$1990 (vs U.S. value of 13,400 Btu/ $1997)**
Carbon Intensity (1998E):
0.35 metric tons of carbon/thousand $1990 (vs U.S. value of 0.21 metric
tons/thousand $1990)**
Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1997E):
Transportation (44.6%), Industrial (38.0%), Residential (17.4%)
Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1997E): Transportation (55.6%),
Industrial (30.2%), Residential (14.2%)
Fuel Share of Energy Consumption
(1998E): Oil (63.1%), Natural Gas (24.3%)
Fuel Share of Carbon
Emissions (1998E): Oil (76.2%), Natural Gas (23.8%)
Renewable Energy
Consumption (1997E): 104 trillion Btu* (44% increase from 1996)
Number
of People per Motor Vehicle (1997): 34.5 (vs. U.S. value of
1.3)
Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified January 4th,
1996). Not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol
Major Environmental Issues:
Deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution
from dumping of raw sewage and wastes from petroleum refining; inadequate
supplies of potable water
Major International Environmental Agreements:
A party to Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution .
Has signed, but not ratified, Environmental Modification
* The total energy consumption statistic includes petroleum, dry natural gas, coal, net hydro, nuclear, geothermal, solar and wind electric power. The renewable energy consumption statistic is based on International Energy Agency (IEA) data and includes hydropower, solar, wind, tide, geothermal, solid biomass and animal products, biomass gas and liquids, industrial and municipal wastes. Sectoral shares of energy consumption and carbon emissions are also based on IEA data.
**GDP based on EIA International Energy Annual 1998
OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES
Organization: The state-owned
SPC (SPC) controls all oil resources, and directly produces about one-fourth of
Syrian output. Al-Furat Petroleum Company (AFPC), of which 50% is owned by the
Syrian Petroleum Company, and the other 50% by three foreign companies (Shell,
its U.S. affiliate Pecten, and Germany's Deminex), is responsible for about 65%
of Syrian output. Sytrol is the state oil marketing company.
Major
Foreign Oil Company Involvement: Elf Aquitaine, Royal Dutch/Shell Major
Oil Fields: Deir ez-Zour and Jafra in eastern Syria; Karatchuk in the far
northeast
Major Refineries: Syria's 2 refineries are located at Homs
and Banias, with a combined crude refining capacity of 242,140 bbl/d. A third
refinery is planned for Deir ez-Zour with initial capacity of 60,000 bbl/d,
rising to 120,000 bbl/d.
Major Oil Export Terminals: Banias, Tartous,
Latakia
Links to other U.S. government sites:
2000 CIA World
Factbook - Syria
U.S. State
Department's Consular Information Sheet - Syria
U.S. State Department's
Country Commercial Guide - Syria
Library of Congress Country Study
on Syria
U.S.
State Department Background Notes on Syria - October 1995
The following links are provided solely as a service to our customers, and
therefore should not be construed as advocating or reflecting any position of
the Energy Information Administration (EIA) or the United States Government. In
addition, EIA does not guarantee the content or accuracy of any information
presented in linked sites.
The Center for Middle
Eastern Studies - Syria
ArabNet: Syria
MENA
Petroleum Bulletin
AME Info Middle East
Business Information
Planet
Arabia.com
Lonely
Planet Guide: Syria
Return to Country Analysis Briefs home page
File last modified: March 29, 2000 Contact:
Lowell Feld
lfeld@eia.doe.gov
Phone: (202)586-9502
Fax: (202)586-9753
URL: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/syria.html