Damascus, (SANA) - Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari said on Saturday that the National Energy Conference aims at devising the Syrian development plan for the coming decades, coinciding with the preparation of the 11th ten-year plan.

In his opening speech at the National Energy Conference held at the Conferences Palace in Damascus, al-Dardari said that the Conference will present recommendations to the Cabinet which will be included in the next five-year plan and future development plans, in addition to producing recommendations and suggestions regarding Syria's regional position in regards to the transit and movement of energy sources and managing demand and priority of using these sources.

Al-Dardari called on participants to cooperate and produce a national energy strategy, stressing that the energy sector must be dealt with as a growth motivator and not just a means to meet the needs of national economy, adding that energy is a main factor for attracting investments.

The Deputy Prime Minister explained that the goal of achieving an energy sector that suits an economy with a GDP of USD 150 billion by 2025 requires clear plans, programs and decisions, stressing the need for a change in the infrastructures, administration and governance in order to shift from a state of energy deficiency and demand to a state of energy abundance.

For his part, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Sufyan al-Allaw expected demand for energy to increase by no less than 4.5 to 5 percent per year, which will lead to increased demand for energy sources that will eventually double by 2025 and triple by 2030, underlining the need for decisive and effective steps in conservation of energy, and improving the efficiency of its use, and finding alternative energy sources.

Al-Allaw pointed out to the government's care for energy projects, as investments in this sector during the 10th five-year plan amounted to around SP 250 billion, around 24% of overall state investments in the plan, in addition to direct foreign investments in the fields of oil and gas amounting to over USD 3 billion.

The Minister affirmed that oil production remained stable during the past three years, with a long-term plan that expects 2000 million barrels to be produced between 2009 and 2025.

Al-Allaw also said that tenders are being accepted for developing seven old oil fields, and that there will be an announcement in March for accepting tenders for prospecting in eight land fields, in addition to plans for prospecting in the Syrian regional waters. He added that four gas processing plants have been established, producing around 16 million cubic meters of clean gas per day.

The two-day conference focuses on topics of energy demand, economics, sources, conservation, and other topics related to energy use and preservation, with the participation of concerned national authorities, local experts and major consumers.

Fadi Allafi / Idelbi / H. Sabbagh