Overview of Infrastructure in Syria

=Pipelines=

Up until the sharp increase in oil prices in the early 1970s, Syria earned more from the international pipelines crossing its territory than from domestic oil production. In the early 1950s the Tapline Oil Pipeline was completed. The larger and more important Kirkuk-Banias Pipeline (IPC) also began operating in the early 1950s, providing transit fees and some political leverage over Iraq.

State-owned SCOT is in charge of Syria's pipelines. Aside from the transnational pipelines mentioned above, the main internal pipelines are:


 * a 25,000 barrels per day (bpd) export pipeline from the SPC's north-eastern fields to the Tartous Terminal with a connection to the Homs Refinery.
 * a 500,000 tons/year refined products pipeline system linking the Homs Refinery to Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia.
 * a 100,000 bd spur line from Thayyem and other fields to the T-2 pumping station on the old Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC) pipeline.
 * a spur line from the Ashara and El-Ward fields to the T-2 pumping station.

=Refining=

Syria's two refineries are located at Banias and Homs. Total refining capacity in 2004 was estimated at around 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) (around 133,000 bpd at Banias and 107,000 bpd at Homs).

Syria faces shortages of gas oil and diesel, which it needs to import. Several refinery projects have been proposed in the country:

In summer 2010 the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) announced that it would begin construction of a long-delayed US $2 billion refinery in Abu Khashab during the second quarter of 2011. The facility would be locate near the oil hub Deir Ez Zour and was due to be operational by 2014 and handle 70-100,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The initial delays were due to the global economic crisis. The CNPC were to assume 85% of the total project cost, with the Syrian government covering the remaining 15%.

The Homs City Refinery Project is a 140,000 barrels per day (bpd) project planned by a consortia of Venezuelan, Iranian, Syrian and Malaysian companies.

A third project planned by Kuwait's Noor company was cancelled.

=Terminals=

Syria's major oil export terminals are at Banias and Tartous on the Mediterranean, with a small tanker terminal at Latakia.

=References=

