Blast at Syrian gas pipeline, power stations hit

DAMASCUS

This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Sept. 30, 2026 shows Syrian Civil Defense teams working to cool the fire at the site of a gas pipeline explosion in the Tishreen thermal power plant near the town of Al-Atiba in the Eastern Ghouta region of the Damascus countryside. (AFP Photo)

A blast at a gas pipeline near the Syrian capital Damascus late on Sept. 30 sparked a massive fire and put three power stations out of service.

It came two days after an explosion caused by sabotage at a gas pipeline in the country's east.

The official SANA news agency first reported the Sept. 30’s explosion saying a "detonation was heard in Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus."

A government source told AFP it was an "explosion in a gas pipeline near the Tishrin power plant" that sparked a "huge fire."

Tishrin is a thermal power plant located around 36 kilometers southeast of Damascus.

The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement.

"The shutdown of these plants will lead to a decrease in the amount of electricity produced and a temporary increase in rationing hours," it said.

Abdelhamid Sallat, director of the media department at the Energy Ministry, said the effects of the blast were no longer limited to the electricity sector but had "extended to drinking water pumping and purification stations."

The explosions come at a time of rising protests over rising fuel prices, which authorities blame on the regional war with Iran.

Syria's oil, gas and electricity production have been heavily affected by the civil war that ravaged the country between 2011 and 2024.

Syria used to produce 30 million cubic meters of gas per day for electricity generation, compared to only 8.5 million now.

The domestic gas needs are estimated at between 22 and 25 million cubic meters per day, according to Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir.