Syria's Aleppo expects Iran power boost soon
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The power supply in Syria's Aleppo will be boosted this year thanks to new capacity installed by its ally Iran, a step towards reviving the industrial hub whose electricity grid has been destroyed in seven years of war, a Syrian official said.
The five power generation plants are part of a deal penned last year by which Iran, a vital supporter of President Bashar al-Assad, will help repair the Syrian power grid, and reflects Tehran's deepening role in the country.
Syrian government forces, with critical help from Iran-backed militias and the Russian air force, recovered full control of Aleppo some 14 months ago, driving out rebels who had held the city's eastern districts.
Mohammed al-Saleh, the director general of the state-owned Aleppo power company, said all of the city's pre-war power generation capacity—amounting to 1,000 Megawatts—had been destroyed in the conflict that erupted in 2011.
He said the new capacity being installed by Iran at a cost of 110 million euros would produce 125 Megawatts once it comes on line at some point between April and June.
"Other sources will enter service to feed Aleppo city ... and so the hours of provision will certainly increase after April 2018," said Saleh, speaking to Reuters as he inspected work to restore the power supply to one part of the city.
Industrialists have cited power supply as one of the big impediments to reviving their businesses in Aleppo, a city which enjoyed 24-hour-a-day electricity before the war.
