Electricity output in Syria has dropped by 56 percent since the start of the civil war four years ago, AFP reported Monday.
Electricity ministry official Nassuh Semsmieh told the pro-regime newspaper al-Watan the country produced only 22 billion kilowatts of electricity in 2014, compared with nearly 50 billion kilowatts in 2011 — evidence of "the scale of the damage to infrastructure in the electricity sector," Semsmieh said.
In February Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi said the government is continuing to spend 480 billion Syrian pounds ($2 billion) a year on electricity subsidies to keep costs low for residents, despite the urgent need for repairs.
Power outages across the country have become commonplace, as power plants have been damaged and areas no longer in government control often don't receive the services.
Heavy clashes among regime forces and rebel supporters have killed at least 220,000 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
