Deir Ezzor, Feb. 8 (SANA) Minister of Energy Mohammad al-Bashir on Sunday visited Deir Ezzor province, where he met Governor Ghassan al-Sayyed Ahmad to review local conditions and assess service needs across multiple sectors, particularly energy and infrastructure.
During the meeting, the governor outlined the main challenges facing the province and the ongoing efforts to rehabilitate infrastructure and improve services for residents.
The provincial media directorate later organized a meeting at the governorate building, attended by community representatives and workers in the energy sector, during which al-Bashir answered questions and addressed concerns related to oil, electricity, and development projects.
Participants called for allocating a portion of oil revenues to the province, along with earmarking shares of future contracts for infrastructure rehabilitation—especially hospitals and roads—and discussed prospects for job creation through upcoming projects.
Al-Bashir said that restarting the local power generation plant would take about three years if work began immediately, stressing that while countries focus on reconstruction, the ousted regime had destroyed cities with barrel bombs and missiles.
The minister also said talks included plans to build a hospital specializing in cancer treatment, particularly in light of the environmental damage caused by crude, unregulated oil refining. He noted that workers previously employed in such activities would be offered alternative jobs and that the makeshift refineries would be phased out gradually.
For his part, Government Communications Director at the Ministry of Energy Ahmad al-Sulaiman told SANA that the visit aimed to gain firsthand insight into local conditions and listen to proposals and challenges raised by officials and residents.
Al-Sulaiman said infrastructure improvements would be introduced in the coming days, though progress would take time due to extensive deterioration, noting that new employment opportunities would be created at the power plant and in the oil sector.
