Qatar and Turkey to send electricity-generating ships to Syria 

• Two ships to be sent, says energy official
• Damage to infrastructure ‘very large’
• US issues sanctions exemption

Syria will receive two electricity-generating ships from Turkey and Qatar to boost its energy infrastructure, which was badly damaged during the rule of President Bashar Al Assad, state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

Khaled Abu Dai, director general of Syria’s General Establishment for Electricity Transmission and Distribution, told SANA the ships would provide 800 megawatts of electricity but did not specify over what period.

“The extent of damage to the generation and transformation stations and electrical connection lines during the period of the former regime is very large. We are seeking to rehabilitate [them] in order to transmit energy,” Abu Dai said.

• Assad’s fall spurs calls to revive Iraq-Syria oil pipeline
• Opinion: Without Assad, Syria is ripe for farming investment
• Qatar reveals commitment to help rebuild Syria

He did not say when Syria would receive the two ships.

On Monday the US issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria, to try to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance.

The exemption allows some energy transactions and personal remittances to Syria until July 7 – six months after the end of Assad’s rule. The measure does not remove any sanctions.

Syria suffers from severe power shortages, with state-supplied electricity available for just two or three hours a day in most areas.

The caretaker government says it aims to provide electricity for up to eight hours a day within two months.