Syria’s Energy Ministry boosts fuel supplies as minister explains fuel shortages
Damascus, July 11 (SANA)Syria’s Ministry of Energy has increased fuel supplies and accelerated distribution operations to ease congestion at fuel stations, with Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir attributing the recent shortages to supply disruptions and a sudden surge in demand following a fuel price reduction.
Al-Bashirsaid on Saturday that the immediate cause of the queues at fuel stations was the removal of a gasoline shipment that failed to meet required specifications shortly before the price cut, preventing it from entering the market.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the minister said some fuel stations had also reduced their orders ahead of the price adjustment to avoid potential losses, while many consumers delayed refueling in anticipation of lower prices.
The minister said that after the new prices took effect, consumers who had delayed purchases rushed to refuel, creating an unprecedented surge in demand that was exploited by some black-market traders.
To address the situation, the ministry doubled fuel allocations, accelerated transportation and distribution, and increased inspections of fuel stations and storage facilities, al-Bashir said.
He added that the ministry is working on long-term solutions focused on increasing production, expanding refinery capacity, and rehabilitating storage facilities and fuel tanks, while acknowledging that efforts are constrained by infrastructure damage caused by 15 years of war.
Meanwhile, theMinistry of Energyannounced that it had dispatched 407 gasoline shipments and 639 diesel shipments to fuel stations across Syria’s provinces.
The ministry said the total allocated supplies exceeded 25 million liters, including 9.768 million liters of gasoline and 15.336 million liters of diesel.
It added that coordinated efforts with fuel sector companies had significantly reduced congestion at stations and restored normal traffic flow in most areas.
The latest distribution measures follow an earlier stabilization effort on July 6, when the ministry sent 400 tankers carrying more than 9.6 million liters of gasoline to stations nationwide.