NASDAQ Run''s

[Arctec]

A plan to build a power station in every Iraqi province
Translated by IRAQdirectory.com - [03/03/2007]


Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Kareem Waheed, said that his ministry is determined to implement its short, medium and long-term plans despite the many problems it is currently experiencing, in order to access in the production of electric energy to the extent of self-sufficiency in 2009, and try to produce more than 28 thousand megawatts in 2015, which gives the country the ability to export excess capacity.

Waheed said in a press conference that there is a plan to build a power station in each Iraqi province, under a specific timetable in accordance with the regulations and technical standards calculated. He added that the ministry is currently intensifying its efforts to provide the electric current to the capital Baghdad as soon as possible, before the in coming of the summer, by installing diesel generators in several areas in the city. Waheed Also uncovered a project of electricity linkage with Iran (by partially linking the network through the city of Basrah), which is expected to be completed before the summer season, which contributes to increase the electricity network by 50 megawatts.

The Iraqi minister confirmed that electricity in Iraq can be improved in the presence of several key factors; the most important of which are security and protection of the conducting power lines, which extends thousands of kilometers in uninhabited areas. He pointed out that the recent sabotage operations contributed in isolating the city of Baghdad completely after targeting the eight lines conducting energy to it.

Waheed described electricity in Baghdad of being "miserable and semi hopeless of it in most administrative, technical and financial aspects". He added that there are suspended power stations because of the non-availability of natural gas required for its operation, like the stations of Nasiriyah, Samawah and Khawr al-Zubayr in the south of Iraq, as well as Al-Quds thermal station which has stopped completely for the same reason; he called on the Ministry of Oil to provide fuel for those stations in order to operate the power generation units.