Pipeline blast in Eastern Ghouta puts three Syrian power plants offline
The Syrian Electricity Company warned that power rationing hours would increase after gas supplies to three plants were cut. The cause of the explosion remains unknown.
A gas pipeline exploded in Eastern Ghouta, in the Damascus countryside, and sparked a fire that was still burning, state-run news agency SANA reported.
The Syrian Electricity Company said the Deir Ali, al-Nasiriyah and Tishreen power plants were out of service because the blast had left them without adequate gas supplies. Specialised teams were working to address the disruption.
The company warned that the shutdown would increase electricity rationing hours as supplies dwindled. It gave no schedule for the increase or estimate for how long the plants would remain offline.
Authorities had not identified what caused the explosion. Syria’s gas network has had two other reported explosions in the past six weeks, which the Syrian Petroleum Company attributed to sabotage; the available information does not link those incidents to this blast.
The disruption comes amid complaints about rising energy costs. The government recently raised diesel and petrol prices, describing the increases as temporary and linked to higher global energy costs.
