Syria signs Aleppo power plant contract with Iran

DAMASCUS – Syrian state news says the government has signed a contract to import Iranian power plants for the country's war-battered city of Aleppo, an early sign of the major role Tehran is expected to play in Syria's reconstruction.

SANA says the contract was signed Tuesday with the Iranian company Mabna during a visit by Syrian Electricity Minister Zuhair Kharboutli.

Kharboutli was quoted by SANA on Sunday as valuing the deal at 130 million Euros. The five gas-powered plants will provide 125 megawatts of electricity to Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war.

Kharboutli also signed memorandums of understanding to import five plants to the coastal region of Latakia and restore electrical infrastructure nationwide. The new plants would generate 540 megawatts.