BAGHDAD, May 2 (NNN-NINA) – Iraq yesterday signed an energy cooperation agreement, with Germany’s Siemens Energy, to bolster the country’s power grid capacity.
The agreement includes building new power plants, with a capacity of 14,000 megawatts, as well as, two maintenance contracts for the Dibis Gas Power Plant and Al-Mussaib Thermal Power Plant, according to statements issued by media offices of the electricity ministry and prime minister.
The two maintenance contracts include a long-term service agreement, for the Dibis Gas Power Plant, covering two generating units with a combined capacity of 340 megawatts; and a five-year maintenance contract for Al-Mussaib Thermal Power Plant. The latter includes not only the maintenance of its 750-megawatt units, but also the addition of 150 megawatts, and measures to ensure safe, efficient, and continuous operations, according to the statement.
Al-Sudani underscored the significance of continued cooperation between Iraq and Germany, stressing that, Siemens Energy is a key partner in Iraq’s energy sector, which serves as a backbone for all development sectors, the statement added.
Decades of conflict and instability have severely hampered the development and maintenance of Iraq’s electricity infrastructure, leaving the oil-rich country grappling with chronic power shortages.– NNN-NINA
