Introduction

The February earthquakes had a significant impact on Syria’s electricity infrastructure, upending access to other key services including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and protection in the immediate aftermath. Northwest Syria, already experiencing some of the most acute humanitarian needs, faced the highest per capita losses to electricity infrastructure due to the earthquakes, compared to other areas in Syria affected by the disaster. The earthquake’s financial and physical impact on the electricity sector is well documented. However, there is little data assessing the progression of electricity recovery and how electricity-related needs continue to shift three months on from the earthquake.

Volume 2 of Crisis Analysis – Syria’s (formerly HAT) Northwest Syria Series aims to address these gaps by analyzing the rates and determinants of electricity consumption recovery across opposition-controlled areas of northwest Syria in the weeks following the February earthquakes.

Key findings

While electricity was restored in the weeks immediately following the earthquake in most parts of the northwest, longer term recovery and sustained access to electricity could be challenged in the future by affordability difficulties, loss of livelihoods, and monopolization within the region’s energy sector. Several regional trends indicate where these dynamics are most palpable. When comparing across zones of control, areas controlled by the Syrian Interim Government (SIG) recovered more quickly than Syrian Salvation Government (SSG)-controlled areas. Where income data was available, areas with higher average wages experienced better electricity recovery outcomes than areas with lower average wages, suggesting that the relative affordability of electricity is an essential factor for recovery of electricity consumption.