Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – To address the country’s increasing energy demand, the Iraqi government is collaborating with Siemens, a company based in Germany, to develop new power plants with a total capacity of 14,000 megawatts.
The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, held a meeting with officials from Siemens on Thursday to discuss the next steps of the agreement signed between the two parties as part of energy cooperation.
The discussion focused on the sites of new power plants with a combined capacity of 14,000 megawatts.
The new power plants are expected to use local fuel and combined cycle technology, increasing production efficiency and lessening reliance on imported fuel.
Fadel confirmed that the government is moving forward with the strategic agreements reached with major energy companies. He added that the new projects are planned to meet the rising electricity demand and raise the country’s production capacity to unprecedented levels.
The Electricity Ministry has reached agreements with General Electric (GE) to develop power facilities with a capacity of 24,000 megawatts, as well as with Siemens for an additional capacity of 14,000 megawatts.
Fadel mentioned earlier that an agreement with Shanghai Electric Group is expected to be finalized soon to produce 10,000 megawatts of electricity to meet the increasing demand in the country.
While Iran has halted deliveries of the gas required to operate power plants, the Iraqi government has adopted measures to resolve the current electricity crisis and maintain a consistent supply of electricity.
Additionally, the Iraqi government has approved a proposal to award contracts to specialist businesses to generate 7,500 megawatts of solar energy by 2030. These projects are part of a larger national plan that intends to generate 12,000 megawatts of solar energy.
In 2023, the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity intended to negotiate contracts with major corporations such as France-based TotalEnergies to build a 1,000-megawatt power plant in Basra and China-based PetroChina to establish another 750-megawatt power plant in Muthanna.
