Kobani faces prolonged blackout amid damage to main power line
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Energy Board in the city of Kobani, northern Syria, said on Thursday that electricity has been cut off from the city and its surrounding villages since Jan. 18, citing technical damage to a main power line and delays in accessing the repair site.
In a statement read on Feb. 5, the Energy Board said the initial outage was caused by a malfunction at Tishrin Dam, one of the key electricity sources supplying large parts of northern Syria. The board added that after the dam was repaired, power was briefly restored to Kobani’s distribution station for less than 30 minutes before being cut again.
“Since Jan. 18, electricity has been cut off from the city of Kobani due to a fault at Tishrin Dam,” the statement said. “After the repair, power was delivered to Kobani’s distribution station for no more than 30 minutes, then the electricity was cut again until the date of this statement.”
According to the Energy Board, the 66-kilovolt high-voltage line supplying the area is shared between the Kobani and Sarrin stations. Electricity is currently reaching the Sarrin and Ain Issa stations, while Kobani remains without power due to damage on the transmission line leading to the city.
The board said it had coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to facilitate access for repair teams from Kobani’s Electricity Directorate to reach the site of the fault. However, it said the necessary approvals had not yet been granted.
“Despite coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross to allow our maintenance teams to reach the location of the fault, we have not received the required approval,” the statement said, adding that this had resulted in the continued power outage across the city and its villages.
The prolonged blackout has affected essential services, the Energy Board warned, noting that water pumping stations, hospitals, mills, and bakeries rely on electricity to continue operating. The outage, it said, has exacerbated pressure on daily life in Kobani, particularly as residents depend on public infrastructure overseen by local institutions.
The board called on international organizations to “carry out their duties without delay” and to pressure the relevant parties to allow technical teams to access the damaged site and restore electricity to the city.
It also urged the Syrian government’s Ministry of Energy to act “in line with its responsibilities” to help address the existing faults, stressing that the Energy Board’s own maintenance teams are ready to move “at any moment” once access is granted.