Energy minister says Syria receives final shipment of Saudi oil grant
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Syria’s transitional government announced on Monday the arrival of the second and final shipment of a Saudi-funded oil grant, a move officials say will provide temporary relief to the country’s strained energy sector.
Mohammed al-Bashir, Minister of Energy in the transitional government, said the latest batch includes one million barrels of crude oil, completing the total Saudi grant of 1.65 million barrels.
“I am pleased to announce the arrival of the second and final installment of the Saudi oil grant, estimated at one million barrels,” al-Bashir said in a statement. “This brings the total volume of the grant to one million six hundred and fifty thousand barrels.”
The first shipment of the grant arrived on Nov. 17 and was sent to state refineries to support electricity generation and fuel supplies, according to the ministry.
The Saudi oil assistance is part of a broader memorandum of understanding signed on Sep. 11 between the Syrian Ministry of Energy and the Saudi Fund for Development.
The agreement includes direct support aimed at stabilizing key public services, particularly the electricity grid, which continues to face repeated outages due to fuel shortages.
Energy officials say the grant will cover only a portion of national demand but will help mitigate immediate shortages as winter approaches. Economists, however, warn that without structural reforms, Syria’s fuel crisis is likely to resurface.
Saudi Arabia has gradually expanded its humanitarian and development assistance to Syrian institutions since earlier phases of regional normalization.
The Sep. 11 memorandum between the Syrian Ministry of Energy and the Saudi Fund for Development marked the first large-scale Saudi contribution to Syria’s energy sector since the conflict began.
Syria has faced chronic fuel shortages for more than a decade due to damaged infrastructure, declining domestic production, and sanctions.
These shortages have led to long electricity outages, limited public transport, and increased costs for households and businesses.
While the Saudi grant offers temporary relief, analysts note that sustainable improvement requires major investment in refineries, power plants, and fuel import mechanisms—projects that remain constrained by political uncertainty and financial limitations.