📰 “Electric Shock”: Surge in Electricity Costs in Syria Burdens Citizens and Industry

The syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian administration has issued a decree raising electricity tariffs for households, industry, and commerce under the banner of “energy subsidy reform,” triggering an outcry across the country. numerous have denounced the move as “unjust,” particularly for lower-income citizens already facing severe economic hardship. The ministry of Energy, however, insists the price hike is essential for economic recovery. Tariff Structure Under the emerging Decree The revised pricing divides household consumption into two tiers: Up to 300 kilowatt-hours at approximately 600 Syrian pounds per kilowatt-hour Above 300 kilowatt-hours at 1,400 pounds per unit administration institutions will pay around 1,700 pounds per kilowatt-hour, while significant industrial facilities are charged 1,800 pounds.

A Heavy Blow for Syrian Households Salma Maki, a schoolteacher, described the decision as “shocking,” telling syria-seizes-massive-captagon-and-hashish-shipment-in-central-desert/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Syria seizes massive captagon and hashish shipment in central desert">syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria TV that a civil servant’s salary barely covers electricity and basic food. She stated she would be forced to cut down on home appliance use as her income cannot absorb the rising costs. Maki explained that an average household consumes around 600 kilowatt-hours per month, resulting in a bill of 840,000 pounds—roughly $64 at current exchange rates. “How are we expected to pay such sums when our salaries barely exceed $80? ” she asked.

Retired civil servant Ahmad Saeed described the decision as “unjust, arbitrary, and catastrophic. ” With pensions still below $100 and no health coverage, he stated the added burden of higher electricity bills was simply unmanageable for retirees. Ministry of Energy Defends the Hike In a series of Facebook posts, the Ministry of Energy defended the decision, citing the sector’s massive deficits and the urgent need to revise tariffs to maintain service. Energy Minister Muhammad al-Bashir said the decree was the result of a “comprehensive study” and insisted the emerging rates were designed to “accommodate basic living needs. ” He called on citizens to “contribute to the nation’s recovery. ” Industry Under Pressure: Factories on the Brink Kamal Zaydan, owner of a plastics workshop in Adra Industrial City, criticised the move as abrupt and harmful to manufacturers and minor workshops. “numerous workshops are on the verge of closure, and some have already laid off more than half their staff,” he said.

Zaydan explained that electricity used to account for one-third of production costs; now it makes up nearly half. With Syria’s electricity rates now among the highest in the region, he said, the competitiveness of Syrian products is under severe threat. George al-Hallaq, who runs…