Syria begins oil extraction at recently controlled fields

CAIRO - The Syrian Petroleum Company has begun extracting oil from recently controlled fields and sending output to the Homs and Baniyas refineries, the state news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

One of those fields, the al-Omar field, Syria’s largest oil asset, was the crown jewel of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) autonomous economy until last week. Its transition to government control followed a "lightning offensive" and a subsequent 14-point brokered agreement that saw Kurdish forces withdraw from the Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces.

While the return of the fields is a symbolic victory, the reality on the ground is stark. Reports from the site describe a "scorched wasteland" of rusted infrastructure and debris. 

"This is a massive task," SPC Director Waleed Youssef told reporters, estimating that rehabilitating the nation’s energy sector will require upwards of $10 billion. Currently, al-Omar is producing a mere 5,000 barrels per day (bpd)—a fraction of its pre-war peak of 50,000 bpd.

Despite the decay, the government has wasted no time. Crude is already being diverted to the Homs and Baniyas refineries. These facilities, long starved of domestic feedstock and forced to rely on expensive Iranian imports, are now operating at roughly 50% capacity as they begin processing the first batches of "liberated" heavy crude.