Syria’s energy sector poised for historic revival

Syrian government forces have reasserted control over the country’s most valuable energy assets, including the Omar oil field and Tabiyeh gas complex, following a withdrawal deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The handover spans key infrastructure in the Deir ez-Zor and Al-Raqqah provinces, as well as the strategic city of Tabqa and its Euphrates dam, giving Damascus its first real chance to rebuild a national energy system since the civil war began.

Read on for a brief introduction, then fill in the form as we explore how energy majors are cautiously re-engaging and what could happen next.

From fragmentation to unity

For more than a decade, Syria’s oil-rich northeast lay beyond Damascus’s reach, leaving the energy sector split. The government retained gas output in central regions while losing access to the heavy oil fields that once drove crude production.

Under the new ceasefire, these assets, along with fields in Al-Hasakah, border crossings, and civil institutions, return to central control. The agreement also provides for the gradual integration of SDF forces into state structures, creating the first chance for unified energy governance since 2011.

The timing is pivotal. With US and EU sanctions easing after the Assad regime’s collapse in December 2024 and SWIFT transfers resuming by mid-2025, Syria is re-entering the global financial system. Foreign firms can again pay staff and reopen project accounts, which are basic conditions for recovery despite ongoing political and operational risks.

The numbers tell the story

Before the war, Syria produced 380,000 barrels per day of oil and 900 million cubic feet of gas, making it the Mediterranean’s only significant crude producer. Conflict slashed output. Oil fell 80 percent and gas by half, leaving just 50,000 to 80,000 barrels per day by 2021, much of it smuggled.

Yet with an estimated 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent remaining, vast unexplored onshore areas, and an entirely untapped offshore sector, Syria’s energy potential is largely intact and could rapidly re-emerge once stability and investment return.

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• What happens next
• The international players returning
• The current state of Syria’s energy infrastructure