Qatar has begun providing natural gas to Syria through Jordan to tackle the country’s electricity shortage and power cuts, state news agency QNA has reported.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Qatar said the initiative comes as part of a deal signed with Jordan, and in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme. According to the agreement, Qatar will provide natural gas supplies “generating power from 400 megawatts of electricity daily and gradually increase production at the Deir Ali power plant in Syria”.

The electricity will be distributed to several Syrian cities, including the capital Damascus, Rif Dimashq, As Suwayda, Daraa, Al Qunaitra, Homs, Hama, Tartous, Latakia, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zur, it added. “This initiative represents a pivotal step towards meeting the Syrian people’s energy needs and reflects a shared commitment among all parties to work together for the benefit of the region,” said Fahad Hamad Hassan Al-Sulaiti, who heads the Qatar Fund for Development, according to QNA.

Syrian’s interim authorities have struggled to provide electricity to civilians since they removed former President Bashar al-Assad in December, with much of the country’s infrastructure battered by more than 13 years of civil war. Damascus previously received much of the oil used for power generation from Iran, but supplies were cut after al-Assad’s removal. (Aljazeera)