Syria's Ministry of Energy has issued a public Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Halabiya Zalabiya dam project on the Euphrates River, aiming to identify technically and financially qualified parties ahead of a later stage involving detailed bidding. The ministry stressed that this call does not constitute a request for executive proposals and that no contractual obligation exists at this stage.

Location and Components

The project is located north of Deir ez-Zor, 50 km from the archaeological fortresses of Halabiya and Zalabiya, and includes irrigation of 30,000 hectares, hydropower generation of 81 MW, and a pumped storage station of up to 1,200 MW.

• A dam 1,200 meters long and 23 meters high
• A hydropower station with 3 turbines of 27 MW each
• A lower storage reservoir with a capacity of 140 million cubic meters
• A pumped storage station with capacity up to 1,200 MW

Strategic Value

The project's strategic value lies in regulating the Euphrates flow up to the Iraqi border, supporting existing pumping stations, improving irrigation efficiency for sectors 1, 2 and 4 from the dam's reservoir, securing flexible, clean energy to cover peak demand, and developing the eastern region.

Required Work Phases

The work is divided into five main phases, beginning with pre-feasibility studies covering site evaluation, technical alternatives, preliminary cost estimation, and flooding and archaeological site risks. This is followed by detailed feasibility studies including engineering, hydrological and geotechnical assessments, an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), and more precise cost and financial feasibility analysis.

The subsequent phase covers bank financing, including financing structuring, the financial model and funding sources, followed by the execution phase covering the dam, the two stations and irrigation networks, with engineering supervision and quality assurance. The process concludes with an operation and maintenance phase governed by defined performance indicators.

Indicative Cost and Economic Indicators

The estimated cost of the dam and the generation station is $433.7 million, and for the pumped storage station $729.6 million, bringing the total to $1.163 billion. The discount rate is 9%, the internal rate of return (IRR) for the full project is 22.1%, with a payback period of 11.1 years, while the pumped storage indicators still require updating within the feasibility study.

Participation Requirements

Applicants are required to demonstrate experience in dams, hydropower generation and pumped storage stations, sufficient financial and banking capacity, a preliminary work methodology, a proposed contractual structure and timeline, and technical, environmental and social considerations given the proximity to the two archaeological sites.

• Turnkey / EPC
• PPP / BOT / BOOT
• Advisory and financing services only
• Any other structure proposed by the applicant, with clarified financing and responsibilities