Regions under the control of control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a militant group that controls northwest Syria, are set to import electricity from Turkey, in a sign that Ankara is taking steps to formalize and cement its relations with the HTS government.

Towns and villages in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, which is under the control of HTS, are suffering constant power outages. The power stations serving the area are located in areas controlled by the Syrian government, which has been refusing to supply the province with electricity ever since it fell to the armed opposition in March 2015.

The residents of Idlib have been relying on electricity from private generators. The service is expensive at 50 to 70 Turkish liras ($6 to $8) per month. There is some use of solar panels, but most families cannot afford them.

The General Electricity Company, affiliated with so-called Syrian Salvation Government (established by HTS to administer the regions it holds), signed an agreement in March 2020 with the local Green Energy company to deliver electricity to these areas. The General Electricity Company has built stations and run electrical cables to distribute electricity from Turkey.