Turkish airstrikes stop only gas installation in NE Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Recent Turkish assaults have caused the only gas installation in the far northeastern Syria to get out of serves, depriving residents of the region from household gas and cutting power to many towns and villages.
Turkish warplanes and drones bombarded on Nov. 23 oil and gas fields in the eastern countryside of the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria, including a gas installation in Suwaydiyah in Derik countryside that underwent four attacks.
Agid Abdul Majid, director of the Gas Investment Company in Hasakah Governorate fields, said on the same day that the Turkish shelling of the gas plant in the Suwaydiyah area led to significant damage to the facility and halted production until further notice.
“The shelling hit four points in the installation two of which are essential, the cooling and drying circuits, and without them it [installation] will not work since maintenance and spare parts are needed,” the director said.
Additionally, Sulfur and Compressors Unite have been targeted.
The drying circuit, illustrating how a fraction of the gas exiting from the drying process is recycled and combined with the combustion gas in order for the oxygen content of the hot gas that enters the drying column to be below the explosion limit.
Abdul Majid noted that the installation used to produce about 14.000 household gas cylinders on a daily basis and supplies turbines for energy generating by about 50%.
“We supply the turbines with about 500 m³ of gas,” he said.
He noted that maintenance of gas lines leading to the turbines will start in order to resupply the region with energy.
Director of the Gas Investments Company in Hasakah fields said that they fear initiating the maintenance work for fear of attacks to renew in addition to the rainy dry weather that curbs the work.
Turkish forces have been escalating shelling and attacks on different areas in northern Syria for six successive days.