The Gulf electricity interconnection project with Iraq has reached 94% completion, with the first phase expected to supply 500 megawatts of additional electricity to the national grid, Iraq’s Electricity Ministry announced on Saturday.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states signed the implementation contract for the project in October 2024, aiming to supply Iraq with around 3.94 terawatt-hours of electricity annually at prices lower than domestic production costs. The project’s original completion deadline of end-2025 was missed, with the launch subsequently pushed back without a revised date confirmed by officials.
Completed works include full construction of concrete tower foundations, installation of 112 out of 221 transmission towers within the Iraqi section, and the completion of 73 kilometers of power line wiring alongside 63 kilometers of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) communications cable.
Technical teams from the South Electricity Transmission Company continue work on the 400-kilovolt interconnection line linking Kuwait’s Al-Wafra power station to the Al-Faw converter station in southern Iraq as part of what the ministry described as strategic projects aimed at supporting grid stability during the summer season. The project stretches approximately 285 kilometers, including 76.7 kilometers inside Iraqi territory from the Safwan border area to Al-Faw station.
