Homs-Sana
Eight o'clock in the morning, an explosion filled the place, people running from all directions, colleagues martyred here and others injured there, crying and sadness in the air, a scene that will not be forgotten in the memory of hundreds of workers in the field of gas production, crowded with a picture of the first rotation of a turbocharger with a roaring sound. An engine that brought joy and drew a victorious smile on the faces of the remaining workers despite the pain.
Between the joy of launching and taking off in 2009, and being exposed to shells, ambushes, explosions and various types of terrorist attacks from 2011 until last year, a thirteen-year journey is summed up for a facility that extends over an area of 400 acres, and embraces between its wide distances 600 workers, technicians and administrators from different governorates, to complete the chapters of This journey, which is not finished with achievements, is spoken of by the lives of co-workers and the injuries of the living among them, who are still the witness to everything that happened.
500 thousand cubic meters of gas per day, a number that some may consider normal production from any gas plant, but when it comes to its production in conditions of war and siege by national cadres in the gas plant south of the central region of the Syrian Gas Company, then he will realize that he is facing a story of success and distinction For people who faced the threat of death and terrorism were honored for their facility, not only did they preserve it, but they also completed new turbine compressors in it to increase the daily production.
Only two years after its launch, a gas plant in the south of the central region was subjected to many terrorist attacks, especially from ISIS, whether by shells that caused damage to the plant, burning some pipes and tanks, or attempts to detonate with car bombs or drones, and other terrorist attacks Which resulted in dozens of martyrs and injuries, but the plant’s cadres continued to process raw gas from wells, extract hydrocarbon liquids to feed electric power generation networks, as well as produce domestic gas, because the ultimate goal is the public interest and the country despite any danger, according to the opinion of these cadres.
Not only that, the plant not only maintained its production despite all circumstances, but also developed its work, as last week witnessed the launch of the gas compressors project with a total value of 80 million euros and 2 billion Syrian pounds, in which the first and second compressors were put into service, and work is underway to put the compressor The third and fourth are in reserve, which increases the amount of gas by 500,000 cubic meters per day, which improves household gas and electricity.
The gas turbine compressor is a rotating machine that has a compressor at its inlet, a turbine at its outlet, and a combustion chamber between them.
Stopping is forbidden, everyone is a race to sacrifice
The sense of responsibility is the main driver for the continuation of work over these years. The pace of work has not changed since the launch of the plant, and the current compressor project, which was completed on time, is part of the work development plan, according to the speech of the head of the electrical division of the plant, Engineer Samer Mahmoud, and said: This is what we are proud of because it is evidence of our success, which culminated in the fact that President Bashar al-Assad was the one who opened the factory in 2009, and who launched the new project with us recently. This is evidence of his confidence in us and that we are up to the responsibility.”
On December 29, 2014, Eng. Somar Ali from the Operations Department of the plant recalls a bloody event that lost him many of his comrades: “We lived through days of real danger, but that did not deter us from steadfastness. The factory was subjected to an explosion by ISIS terrorists at its entrance, and a number of workers were martyred and others were injured, and I was one of them, as I was injured in my eyes and hearing damage.
Over the course of the 13 years, the factory became a home for many workers, especially those who were from its beginnings until today, and as the father defends his house with all his might, the biggest concern for the sons of this facility was how to preserve it, says Engineer Nader Khaddour, Head of the Stations Division: “I am in Since its opening, the plant is no longer only a source of livelihood and work, but it is our home. I do not forget the year 2015 when the plant was bombed on the 25th of July by terrorists, and the main exterior of the gas line was damaged. All our thinking at that time was limited to how to defend the plant to the point that we even forgot Ourselves, the members of the Syrian Arab Army present in the area warned us, and asked to keep the least possible number of workers to continue operating due to the seriousness of the situation, but everyone who was present chose to stay out of duty, responsibility and attachment to this facility.
In anguish of loss, Khaddour continues: “The former head of the stations was martyred after he was exposed to an ambush. He left on his way to the factory. We lost many of our loved ones, in loyalty to the homeland and to all those who sacrificed from our colleagues and our army. We will continue, operating the compressors is a new victory written by Syrian workers.”
The events are prolonged and do not end with one or two memories. Engineer Mahmoud Saleh, head of the engineering department at the plant, interrupted his colleague Khaddour, saying: “They also tried to target the workers’ transport vehicle. I was with my colleagues in the car at that time. Every targeting meant to us that we must continue, because the failure to protect the factory is evidence of our inability, which we did not and will not allow.”
“The plant means the presence of electricity and gas, and any malfunction in it causes a crisis in the country, so it was an important target for terrorist attacks, and at the same time it was a place for our dreams, our work and securing the needs of our people and our country,” said engineer Nader Merhej, head of the Operations Department, who described his situation and his companions as They were like the economic army: “For 13 years, the workers lived great stories and experiences. Each worker was part of the Syrian economic army. We were one family. The factory was an icon that brought together workers from different governorates. Everyone was a race to sacrifice in any emergency or targeting.”
“8 hours is the longest time that the lab stopped, despite everything that happened. These hours alone were an achievement, more than a solution that was invented at the moment of an emergency or a malfunction, so that we would not stop.” … Words described by the engineer, Basem Fadel, head of the precision instrumentation department Their work over these years, and he continues: “Despite the difficulty of securing replacement parts due to the siege, we were a mini-repair workshop in every department. The real test takes place in the work sites. We did not allow the plant to stop, not even once, for more than 8 hours only. We invented solutions and alternatives, we changed Extension lines because buying a new one means big costs, and many other things that we did not hesitate to implement so that the plant would not stop.”
The injured driver, Loujain Deeb, who transports workers to and from the stations, recalls an incident where his overnight bus was attacked at the end of 2011 by a terrorist attack that resulted in the injury and death of a number of workers, and his injury is at a rate of 40% disability. Despite that, he returned to work after a full year of treatment, and says: “I am constantly happy.” The lab today, and that I am a partner and part of this achievement.”
New compressors and their role in improving gas and electricity
Returning to the working mechanism of the South Central Region Gas Plant, according to its director, Engineer Fadi Ibrahim, it processes the raw gas extracted from the wells, where 5 million cubic meters of raw gas are currently being processed per day. For electric power generation networks, the plant also produces about 60 tons per day of domestic gas, in addition to the accompanying hydrocarbon liquids, with an amount of about 250 cubic meters per day.
When the plant was put into service in 2009, the well pressures were as high as 200 bar, which is enough to extract gas from the stations to the plant, and then export gas to the gas network to the electric power plants without lifting compressors, according to Ibrahim, but after 13 years of work, as a result The natural investment in the pressures of the wellheads, the plant has become in need of turbine compressors, the aim of which is to raise the pressure and reduce the reverse pressure on the wells, so work began on the compressors project in 2018, and the conditions and studies were set for this, and a contract was signed with the Russian company Stroytransgaz, which is directly involved in the project, which is 4 gas compressors capable of each Compressor of 2 million cubic meters of gas per day, driven by a gas turbine with a capacity of 10 megawatt-hours, in addition to 6 pumps for liquids / hydrocarbons.
The compressors project aims, according to Ibrahim, to extend the life of gas wells and produce the largest possible amount of the existing reserve, in addition to the fact that the new amount of gas produced improves the quantities of domestic gas and electricity, and added: “The plant was treated during the war years up to 10.3 million cubic meters per day, Although the plant’s capacity is 7.5 million cubic meters, because due to the war conditions, the cadres of the plant worked on making some adjustments, which gave us a space of flexibility to increase production capacity, that is, we worked with 130 percent of the plant’s design capacity.”
General Director of the Syrian Gas Company, Engineer Amin Al-Daghri, explained that the project aims to intensify the pressures of the wells to produce the largest possible amount of gas, as the expected amount of production is about 500 thousand cubic meters of gas per day from the connected gas fields, which are (the fields of North Al-Fayd, Abu Rabah, Qamqam and stations north of Damascus, Sadad, Sharifa and Zamlat al-Mahr), and it will be processed and pumped into the grid and power plants.
The initial results of the experimentation of the first and second compressors are excellent, according to Al-Daghri's description, and work is continuing to operate the third and fourth compressors as reserves, which will be put into service during a period between 45 and 60 days according to the contract concluded with the Russian company.
The public sector has always been the carrier of the economy and many services during the years of war, and today this achievement comes to reinforce this idea, with a message from the cadres of the factory to the whole world with the ability of the Syrian to work and produce in the most difficult conditions, according to what the engineer Majed Al-Ahmad and the technician Ali Maarouf, who confirmed that the one hand At work, you are invincible, no matter what happens.
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