Siemens expands two power plants in Iraq to produce 495 megawatts
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, launched on Monday the executive work to expand the Haidariyah and Najaf power plants with a capacity of 495 megawatts.
Al-Sudani confirmed that these projects are part of the strategic agreement with Germany’s Siemens Energy to complete power plants in Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Basra, and Diyala with a total capacity of 7,500 megawatts, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, Ahmed Musa, revealed last week that Iraq currently produces a little more than 27,000 megawatts while it needs 48,000 megawatts to cover domestic electricity consumption.
The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity revealed last March that it is raising electricity production by 3,000 megawatts compared to last summer to reach 27,000 megawatts.
Iraq heavily relies on gas imports from Iran but has recently invested in many projects to start taking advantage of flared gas and using renewable energy to generate electricity.
Gas imports from Iran are extremely important for Iraq to generate electricity. However, US sanctions imposed on Iran make it difficult for Baghdad to pay for the Iranian gas.
Iraq witnesses daily power outages that may last up to 10 hours, but things worsen during the scorching summer when the temperature exceeds 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, announced in mid-March that an agreement had been signed with Siemens Energy to turn flared gas into fuel within six months.
Fadel confirmed that the agreement is part of the efforts of the Iraqi government to stop gas flaring and use it to generate electricity.
