At the end of 2003 Syria's natural gas reserves were estimated at 10.6 trillion cubic feet and produced 6.3 billion cubic metres, (BP Stats, 2004)
About 3 quarters of Syria's natural gas 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 natural 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).
With reserves located mainly in northeastern Syria, while population is centered in western and southern Syria. SPC currently is working to increase Syria's natural 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 -- and Najib and Sokhne, which came onstream in 2000. Syria is attempting to expand output at Najib through its central area gas project.
Syria signed agreements with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon in early 2001 for an onshore pipeline network (the "Arab Gas Pipeline") which would link the four countries and make Syrian imports of natural gas from Egypt a possibility. The section of the pipeline running from Egypt to northern Jordan currently is in the final stages of construction. An agreement was signed in January 2004 between Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon for the extension of the pipeline into Syria and Lebanon.
Syria has begun exporting a small quantity of natural gas to Lebanon. In May 2001, Syria signed a deal with Lebanon to build a 26-mile pipeline that would supply power stations in Lebanon with natural gas from Syria. While implentation of the deal was delayed until late 2003, construction is now underway on a short pipeline linking Syria's Homs-Baniyas natural gas pipeline with the Zahrani power plant in Lebanon, which is being converted to burn natural gas.
In October 1997, Syria announced discovery of a large new natural 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 have been 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, started production in 2000 at a capacity of 100 mmcf/d.
In September 2001 an important new, integrated natural gas project (called "Desgas") was completed in the Deir ez-Zour region, three years since a $430 million service agreement was signed between SPC on the one hand, and ConocoPhillips and TotalFinaElf on the other. The new complex utilizes approximately 175 Mmcf/d of previously-flared, "associated" (found together with oil) natural gas, in the Deir ez-Zour oil fields. TotalFinaElf and ConocoPhillips each hold 50% interest in the project, with ConocoPhillips as lead operator. ConocoPhillips announced in February 2004 that it intended to end its operations at Deir ez-Zour in the future.
Syria's Jibsah natural gas treatment plant, which came online in 1988, accounts for more than one-quarter of the country's total natural 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).
