Iraq says power link with Jordan ready

AMMAN, Jordan

Iraq said Saturday that an electricity grid interconnection with Jordan has been completed.

“Production will start within days,” Electricity Minister Ziad Ali Fadel said in statements cited by the state news agency INA.

He said Iraq will be supplied with an initial capacity of 150 megawatts in the first phase of the project.

The electricity minister said Iraq is also proceeding with its project for electric interconnection with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

“Iraq sought to provide 24,000 megawatts for electricity consumption in 2023 and this target was achieved,” Fadel said.

“We are in the process of preparing a plan for electricity consumption for the summer of 2024,” he added.

In October 2022, Iraq and Jordan laid the foundation stone for an electrical interconnection project between the two neighboring countries.

Iraq generates some 19,000-21,000 megawatts, but the country’s actual need tops 30,000 megawatts, according to ministry officials.

For years, Baghdad has imported 1,200 megawatts of electricity from neighboring Iran to feed its local electric power plants.

Last year, Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia for electricity interconnection between the two neighbors.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi