Only 40% of Syria’s oil and gas wells are currently operating and producing, according to Ayman al-Marai, director of oil field management at the Syrian Petroleum Company.
The operating wells produce about 130,000 barrels of oil and 6.3 million cubic meters of gas per day, while around 60% of the country’s wells remain out of service, al-Marai told Enab Baladi.
Al-Marai made the comments while attending the SyrPetro exhibition in Damascus. He said the company does not have precise figures on the number of oil wells in Syria because some have naturally gone out of service, either after reaching the end of their productive lives or due to technical failures.
He added that not all drilled wells are used to produce oil. Some are designated for water injection or gas lift, while others are drilled for geological purposes or to examine the composition of underground formations.
Rehabilitation Plan
Al-Marai said the Syrian Petroleum Company has a plan to repair and develop the fields. The plan includes connecting stations and obtaining modern machinery and equipment to improve oil production gradually.
In the fields of Deir ez-Zor (eastern Syria), current work is focused on securing the necessary equipment and relying on local expertise to maintain the wells during an initial phase, before moving to the development stage, he said.
According to economic reports monitored by Enab Baladi, Syria previously refined about 238,000 barrels per day domestically. Deir ez-Zor holds the country’s largest share of oil reserves, accounting for nearly 40% of the total.
The al-Omar, al-Tank, and al-Taym fields are among the most prominent oil fields in northeastern Syria. Al-Omar previously produced about 83,000 barrels per day and has estimated reserves of around 670 million barrels of light crude oil.
In an earlier statement, Syrian Petroleum Company corporate communications director Safwan Sheikh Ahmad said the state had regained control of several fields east of the Euphrates River, including 458 wells at al-Omar field. The field’s current production is expected to reach about 5,000 barrels per day, compared with around 40,000 barrels per day previously.
He added that the Conoco gas field is out of service and destroyed, while al-Jafra remains an important field, with expected daily production of about 3,000 barrels.
Syrian fields produced about 350,000 barrels per day in 2013, while the current production capacity of the recovered fields east of the Euphrates is estimated at around 110,000 barrels per day, he said.
Rmeilan in Better Condition Than Jbessa
Regarding the fields in Hasakah (northeastern Syria), al-Marai said the Rmeilan fields contain about 1,600 wells. He described their condition as “good” compared with the Jbessa fields in the same governorate.
HKN Energy previously began operating in the Rmeilan oil fields under a 25-year investment contract covering the rehabilitation and management of production at one of Syria’s most important oil fields, according to information previously obtained by Enab Baladi.
At the Jbessa fields in Hasakah, no more than 15% of the wells are currently operating, al-Marai said. He expected that proportion to rise to about 60% within two months.
Al-Marai attributed the fields’ deteriorated condition to shortages of machinery and equipment, including pumps and other technical supplies required to operate the wells. He said the company was working to secure them as quickly as possible.
The Jbessa field, located in al-Shaddadi in southern Hasakah countryside, is a central component of Syria’s energy sector and contains vital facilities for processing natural gas and oil.
Agreements Move Into Implementation
Regarding previously announced oil and gas agreements, al-Marai said one of the most prominent partnerships to have entered implementation about a month ago was with the Saudi company ADES.
He said the company had taken over several areas in Abu Rabah (eastern Homs governorate) and begun maintenance work in preparation for a later development phase.
A consortium comprising Conico, Novitera, and UCC has also begun working on gas wells in Syria’s central region, covering parts of Raqqa, Homs, and northern Damascus governorates, he said.
According to al-Marai, these partnerships are expected to develop infrastructure related to gas production, helping reduce the quantities of gas Syria imports.
He expected Syria to experience a “qualitative leap” in gas production within two to three years.
Offshore Exploration Along the Coast
Regarding offshore exploration, al-Marai said two investment blocks are available. He referred to an agreement signed with the US company Chevron for offshore drilling, adding that survey and study results would become available one year after work begins.
If exploration and development operations succeed, production could exceed 12 million cubic meters per day, he said.
Syrian Petroleum Company CEO Youssef Qablawi recently announced that the company had received official confirmation from Chevron that it would proceed with offshore investment and exploration. He said the step marked a transition from understandings to implementation as part of a plan to attract major international companies.
Qablawi said the company, working with Chevron and UCC, had identified the targeted offshore site. This paves the way for final contracts and the start of technical operations during the summer of 2026, launching Syria’s first deepwater exploration project.
In May, the French company TotalEnergies, together with its partners QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips, also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Syrian Petroleum Company in preparation for offshore exploration in Block 3 of the Mediterranean Sea.
TotalEnergies said in a statement published on its official website that the memorandum includes a comprehensive technical review of the Block 3 area by the partners and establishes a framework for technical and commercial discussions concerning exploration activities in the block.
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