The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Nearly four years of electric power production resources’ control | Electricity cuts off 20 hours a day in SDF-held areas, and civilians seek alternatives

Civilians in Al-Hasakeh countryside are experiencing difficulties in securing electricity despite the availability of the underlying determinant to produce it, in terms of the proximity of oil wells and primitive refineries spreading in the SDF-held areas.

Civilians rely on special generators by”Ampere” consumption system, where they pay for a certain value of “Ampere” with a monthly or weekly subscription in return for specific hours of electricity. The price per amp varies from one region to another, ranging from 2,500 to 5,000 Syrian pounds, which is unaffordable for poor families living in the area in the cities and rural areas in al-Hasakeh, al-Qamishli and al-Derbasiya where electricity is being cut off 20 hours a day.

In light of the long power cut and high prices of “amps”, some civilians resorted to installing solar panels and large batteries to store electricity in order to save it for a longer period, while not all families are able to install them, because of their high initial cost, which is cost about $400.

The agricultural and industrial sectors were severely affected by the power outage, as farmers converted electric water pumping engines into diesel engines, dramatically increasing the burden on farmers.

Moreover, small industries and crafts have also declined, and production has decreased as the cost of operating generators increased, which have become a cornerstone of industries.

Electricity reaches the areas held by the “Self-Administration” from the Euphrates Dam for four hours a day, while Al-Suwaydiya and al-Shaddadi plants operate with a quarter of their production capacity, as a result of neglect by “Self-Administration” and the repeated need for maintenance.

The “Self-Administration” controls all electricity production resources, including dams and thermal power plants, where the “Self-Administration” attributes the lack of electricity to lack of water from the Euphrates River, which operates the entire turbines, and the lack of maintenance parts for these plants.

It is worth noting that SDF took control of the Euphrates Dam in 2017 after battles with the Islamic State, and it controls Al-Suwaydiya plant in Rmilan and the Shaddadi thermal plant, Syria’s largest power generation resources.