Damascus Allows Establishment of Two Oil Refineries

A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
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Damascus Allows Establishment of Two Oil Refineries

A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi
A youth works at a makeshift oil refinery site in Marchmarin town, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The Syrian Parliament has approved two bills to establish two private companies operating in the field of oil refineries.

A company affiliated with “Katerji Group,” which is owned by a businessman on a Western sanctions list, will be part of these companies.

According to sources in Damascus, the parliament has approved an agreement to establish two companies, the “Coast Refinery” and the “Rusafa Refinery”.

Approval was granted after the parliament had reviewed a report by the committee specialized in studying the partners’ agreement to establish a joint-stock company under the Coast Refinery Company.

The company is aimed at establishing, operating and managing an oil condensate refinery.

The agreement was signed between the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the General Organization for Refining and Distribution of Petroleum Products (GORDPP) as the first party, and Arvada and the Lebanese Sallizar Shipping SAL as the second party, Russia Today (RT) news website reported.

The parliament also approved the bill that includes ratifying a contract signed on September 19, 2019 between the Ministry of Petroleum and the contractor, represented by “Arvada” and “Sallizar Shipping SAL.”

The contract aims to develop and expand the Tartous oil terminal, establish a new oil transportation system, and rehabilitate and maintain the existing oil transportation system in accordance with the provisions of the contract and its appendices.

Head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad has earlier referred these two bills along with the contract to the country’s parliament.

It is noteworthy that there are two government oil refineries in Syria. One in the coastal city of Baniyas and the other in the central city of Homs.



Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025
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Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has ranked second globally in the Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025, placing just behind Germany among 193 countries, and maintaining its position in the highest “Leading” category of the global classification, according to a press release issued by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST).

CST Acting Governor Eng. Haitham bin Abdulrahman Alohali stated that this achievement is the result of the support and enablement of the wise leadership, alignment of national digital economy directions with international multi-stakeholder initiatives, and strong collaboration between public and private sector entities through cooperative and participatory regulation, SPA reported.

He added that the Kingdom’s progress was further driven by adopting regulatory policies based on measuring social and economic impact, launching digital inclusion programs to empower all segments of society, implementing policies that promote development and innovation across sectors such as science, agriculture, and finance, and joining the Tampere Convention to facilitate the provision of telecommunications resources for disaster mitigation.

Alohali highlighted that attaining the highest “Leading” maturity level has contributed to accelerating the growth of Saudi Arabia’s digital economy, expanding the telecom and technology market, stimulating competition, attracting investment, and strengthening the Kingdom’s leading and active role within the ITU.

The release added that this achievement reflects the efforts led by CST in collaboration with the National Regulatory Committee, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Digital Government Authority, Saudi Central Bank, Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, Transport General Authority, General Authority of Media Regulation, National Cybersecurity Authority, Saudi Water Authority, Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority, General Authority for Competition, and Consumer Protection Association.


Saudi Arabia's STC in Joint Venture with Humain to Advance Data Center Buildout

A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)
A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia's STC in Joint Venture with Humain to Advance Data Center Buildout

A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)
A man passes the Saudi Telecom STC office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 6, 2018. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia's largest telecoms operator STC on Thursday announced a joint venture with the kingdom's artificial intelligence company Humain to develop and operate data centers.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the venture, in which Humain will hold a 51% stake, while STC will own 49%, Reuters reported.

Humain, an AI company backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF, has secured several agreements including deals with Elon Musk's xAI and Blackstone-backed AirTrunk for data center projects in the country, and is targeting a capacity of about 6 gigawatts by 2034.
The joint venture will aim to develop infrastructure capable of supporting operations with a required load of up to 1 gigawatt, beginning with an initial deployment of up to 250 megawatts.


Oil Prices Edge Up After Reports of Possible US Sanctions on Russia, Venezuela Blockade

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Prices Edge Up After Reports of Possible US Sanctions on Russia, Venezuela Blockade

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices rose slightly on Thursday as investors assessed the likelihood of further US sanctions against Russia and the supply risks posed by a blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.

Brent crude rose 32 cents or 0.54% to $60 per barrel at 0910 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 38 cents, or 0.68%, at $56.32 per barrel.

US intentions to impose more sanctions against Russia and its threatened blockade of tankers under sanctions and carrying Venezuelan oil pushed prices higher, PVM analyst John Evans said.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the US is preparing another round of sanctions on Russia's energy sector in the event Moscow does not agree to a peace deal with Ukraine, citing people familiar with the matter. A White House official told Reuters President Donald Trump had not made any decisions on Russian sanctions. Further measures targeting Russian oil could pose an even bigger supply risk to the market than Trump's announcement on Tuesday that the US would blockade tankers under sanctions entering and leaving Venezuela, ING analysts said in a note.

The Venezuela blockade could affect 600,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan oil exports, mostly to China, but 160,000 bpd of exports to the US would likely continue, ING said. Chevron vessels were continuing to depart for the US under a previous authorisation from the US government.

Most other Venezuelan exports remained on hold on Wednesday, although state oil company PDVSA restarted loading crude and fuel cargoes after suspending operations because of a cyberattack, sources and customs data indicated.

It was not clear how a US blockade would be enforced. The US Coast Guard last week took the unprecedented step of seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker and sources said the US was preparing for more such interdictions.

Venezuelan crude makes up around 1% of global supplies.