General Electric (GE), the American multinational conglomerate company, has signed agreements in Iraq in order to add over 2 GW of electricity to the country’s national grid, as well as secure the delivery of 1.75 GW of existing power with the aim of strengthening the Iraqi power infrastructure and meeting the country’s need for electricity.
A report issued by GE on Sunday has revealed that the company will set up two power plants, Samawa and Dhi Qar, which will add about 1,500 MW to the grid.
GE will install 9E gas turbines in simple cycle at each site by 2018 with a class of gas turbines during the first phase of the project, whereas the second phase will entail the combined-cycle conversion of the 9E units.
“We are pleased to be working in collaboration with the ministry of electricity to continue to help provide power to the people of Iraq,” said Steve Bolze, CEO of GE Power. “Using GE’s expanded portfolio of technologies and solutions, this project will provide more reliable and sustainable electricity for the country to help achieve better operations and higher levels of efficiency,” he added.
“The agreements with GE are another strong statement of our commitment to strengthen the nation’s power infrastructure. We are focused on delivering reliable, uninterrupted, and efficient electricity supply for both residential and commercial use. The public-private partnership with GE serves as a new business model where we work with our partners to secure financing and technology, enabling faster project delivery,” said Musab Al-Mudaris, a spokesperson of the Iraqi ministry of electricity.
GE has also been working with regional and international institutions to facilitate financing to help the Iraqi government execute these and other projects with its over 40-year presence in Iraq, according to the report.
