New Power Plant Opens near Damascus

Syria's Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi inaugurated a new power plant near Damascus on Tuesday, two years into a conflict that has cut power production by half, state news agency SANA reported.

Built at a cost of some $20 million, the 250-megawatt plant is in Qudsaya, northwest of Damascus.

The agency said it was built "by Syrian experts with material imported from Spain, and it will strengthen the supply" of electricity to several areas of the capital and Damascus province.

The new plant is "one of 21 in the south of Syria", said SANA.

"The government will continue to build in all provinces despite the circumstances in Syria, while it chases down armed terrorist groups and destroys terrorism in order to restore security and stability across Syrian territory," SANA quoted Halqi as saying.

"We will destroy the terrorists, thanks to the efforts of the Syrian army."

The regime describes opponents to President Bashar Assad's regime as well as rebels fighting his troops as "terrorists".

Power production has shrunk by half since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2011 because of a lack of fuel needed to run power plants.

State media blames the lack of security on Syria's roads for difficulties in transporting fuel.

Power cuts have become commonplace across the country, and several plants have been damaged by the fighting.