Two Syrian pipelines damaged in separate incidents, state media report
An explosion hit a gas line in Hasakah and a leak on the Baniyas-Homs oil products pipeline was linked to suspected fuel theft, the Syrian Petroleum Company says.
At a glance
- Two Syrian pipelines were damaged in separate incidents, state media reported on Thursday.
- An explosion hit the Jbessa gas line in Hasakah; a leak on the Baniyas-Homs line was linked to suspected fuel theft.
- The company said domestic gas supplies were unaffected and gas was still reaching power stations.
Two pipelines carrying gas and oil products were damaged in separate incidents in Syria, state media reported on Thursday, the latest disruption to the country's energy network after a series of suspected attacks.
The state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company announced the damage, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). An explosion struck the Jbessa gas pipeline in southern Hasakah province in the late afternoon, hours after damage to a pipeline carrying oil products from the coastal city of Baniyas to Homs caused a fuel leak.
Sabotage suspected on gas line
The company said the gas pipeline had been targeted in a "sabotage attack", SANA reported. Neither SANA nor the company named a suspect or group responsible.
Oday al-Satouf, head of the company's media office, told SANA that a hole was found in the Baniyas-Homs pipeline in the Hadida area, west of Homs. Crews isolated the affected stretch, closing valves on either side of the damaged section, and secured the surrounding area, he said. Repairs have begun while other teams monitor the site for safety. State media said the leak was believed to be linked to an attempted fuel theft.
Al-Satouf said gas would continue to reach power stations through alternative arrangements, and that domestic gas supplies were unaffected, according to SANA.
Earlier damage to the network
More than a week earlier, the company said an oil pipeline near Tal Hamis in the northeastern province of Hasakah was damaged in a sabotage attack, adding that authorities had arrested those responsible.
In late September, a fire broke out on a gas pipeline between al-Shoula and Deir Az Zor in the east, halting gas flows from the Jbessa plant to power stations, SANA reported. Hisham al-Saleh, a gas sector official at the company, said gas pressure in the area fell as crews worked to extinguish the blaze.
Push to revive the energy sector
Syria has been working to restore its energy infrastructure and increase domestic oil production, including resuming operations at oil fields in Hasakah to supply refineries in Homs and Baniyas. In January, the petroleum company announced plans to transport crude from recently recovered fields to the two refineries as part of efforts to revive the sector.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Which pipelines were damaged in Syria?
- The Jbessa gas pipeline in southern Hasakah province, struck by an explosion, and a pipeline carrying oil products from Baniyas to Homs, where a leak was believed to be linked to attempted fuel theft.
- Did the damage affect gas supplies?
- Oday al-Satouf, head of the Syrian Petroleum Company's media office, said gas would continue to reach power stations through alternative arrangements and that domestic gas supplies were unaffected.
- Has anyone claimed responsibility for the pipeline attacks?
- No. Neither SANA nor the Syrian Petroleum Company named a suspect or group. The company described the Jbessa gas pipeline incident as a sabotage attack.
