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Saudi Arabia inaugurates platform for electrical interconnection with Iraq Amr Salem October 10, 2023 1003 The Governor of the Saudi Eastern Province, Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, and GCC officials during the inauguration ceremony of a platform for the GCC electrical interconnection project with Iraq. Photo: Al-Arabiya News Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Governor of the Saudi Eastern Province, Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, inaugurated a platform for the GCC electrical interconnection project with Iraq at the headquarters of the GCC Interconnection Authority in the Saudi city of Dammam. Prince Abdulaziz stressed that the electrical interconnection project between the GCC countries aims to preserve energy and enhance integration between countries in the Gulf region. The platform will increase the efficiency of the electrical interconnection between the GCC countries and Iraq. The platform enables Iraq to exchange electrical energy with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council collectively or separately, which will give wide flexibility to the exchange and trade of energy between Iraq and the GCC countries. The GCC Interconnection Authority expected that the project would provide Iraq with two million megawatts during the summer months, whereas energy exchange with Iraq in the winter months would reach 500,000 megawatts. The value of the electrical energy Iraq will use through the interconnection project with the GCC countries is expected to range between $200 and $300 million annually.

Iraq takes cautious steps toward privatizing electricity sector With the increasing power cuts in Iraq, calls are mounting to expand privatization as a permanent solution. An Iraqi man connects overhead cables providing electricity to homes and businesses who can afford it in Sadr City, east of the capital Baghdad, on July 2, 2021, amid power outages and soaring temperatures. - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images Adnan Abu Zeed July 19, 2021 While most of the capital Baghdad and other southern governorates are experiencing power outages 90% of the time, the neighborhoods of Zayouna, Yarmouk and al-Harthiya in Baghdad governorate, where electrical services is fully privatized, have uninterrupted electricity. The discrepancy has gotten people talking about privatizing the entire power sector in Iraq. While analysts believe the solution to the power outages lies in privatization, outgoing Electricity Minister Majed Hantoush warns that privatizing electricity will cost citizens one million dinars per month. Opposition to electricity privatization emerged during the time when former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was still in office. In a speech Dec. 6, 2017, Abadi said, “The parties that are inciting the public against electricity privatization are the rich, who do not pay and consume two-thirds of public power consumption.” When Mustafa al-Khadimi became prime minister, the first steps toward privatization began, with the selling of power plants in al-Basra Governorate on Jan. 28 to private companies. Parliament member Zahra al-Bajari told Al-Monitor, “Article 47 of the 2021 budget allows the government to sell state assets in order to consolidate resources. This means that power plants, which were established with public money, can also be sold.” On Oct. 30, 2020, Harry Istepanian, a a senior fellow at the Iraq Energy Institute, for wrote for the Washington-based Atlantic Council Research Institute calling on the Iraqi government to accelerate the privatization of the power distribution sector and put an end to the government institutions’ monopoly of the sector in order to improve services for citizens, noting that the Khadimi government has a detailed plan for developing the sector. Mazhar Mohammed Salih, economic adviser to Khadimi, told Al-Monitor, “The Electricity Ministry, with its current centralized structure of managing power production, transmission and distribution, is the weakest in the history of energy management in Iraq.” He called for the establishment of an “entity that would work based on the market and be more aware of managing electricity affairs, changing the management style to a new ownership and system that is close to the philosophy of the private sector.” Salih suggested “separating the power distribution and tax collection from the government administration and allocating these tasks to public or joint-stock companies, and give priority to shareholders in the energy sector.” He went, “This should be a gradual transition of the energy production and distribution sector to private companies, according to the amended Public Companies Law no. 22 of 1997. The central government’s work will be limited to the regulation of energy policies. The decentralized authorities would manage the production, transmission and distribution of electricity according to market rules.” Amjad al-Uqabi, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Energy Committee, told Al-Monitor, “The Electricity Ministry is responsible for the failure of privatization experiments during Abadi’s era because it did not provide the requirements for the success of the project and did not take measures to modernize the dilapidated distribution networks.” Abadi said in a 2017 speech, “Privatization was successful in areas in Baghdad, which received power 24/7 at a cost that was satisfactory to the citizens.” He added, “The first obstacle in the way of privatization … is the distribution networks for which the Electricity Ministry bears the responsibility.” However, the head of the Iraqi National Business Council, Daoud Abed Zayer, told Al-Monitor, “Privatization projects under Abadi were a failure, and there were many political, social and parliamentary objections that the concluded contracts lacked transparency, competition and professionalism.” Abd Zayer added that there were “projects to produce more than 10,000 kilowatts … and the government was obligated to pay between $5 to $7 billion annually, for a period of 20 years, at a time when the Electricity Ministry budget stood at about $3 billion.” “The tax collection department at the Electricity Ministry is a failure. It concluded contracts with bad companies that stole the tax money and did not hand it over to the state,” he added. Abd Zayer continued, “The Iraqi National Business Council is proposing to the government a company specialized in renewable energy. … The company with the lowest production cost would be the one to supply the distribution network with energy.” “Urban planning in new cities must have networks that are independent from the national power network and provide power through renewable energy. The Electricity Ministry is unable to find a solution to the energy shortage problem due to administrative and legal problems and contracts providing for payment for 20 years — an amount that the state does not possess,” he added. Iraqis in Zayouna, Yarmouk and al-Harithiya have been sharing positive messages about the privatization of electricity, as they have had power 24 hours a day and no longer need private generators. Writer Hussein Ali al-Hamdani told Al-Monitor, “Citizens are now relying on the private sector to provide them with more than 80% of their power needs with private generators,” explaining that the provision of electricity is already privatized on a small scale. Link: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/07/iraq-takes-cautious-steps-toward-privatizing-electricity-sector MORE FROM ADNAN ABU ZEED

After a sudden Iranian decision ... Turkish electricity to Iraq via Kurdistan, starting tomorrow 2020-12-27 09:33 Shafaq News / On Monday, Turkey will start exporting electricity to Iraq, via the Silopi - Zakho line in the Kurdistan Region for a period of 11 months. This comes after an Iranian decision to reduce the supply of Iraqi gas fuel from 5 million to 3 million cubic meters for "non-payment of debts," which affects the hours of electricity supply to great levels. Turkish media said that the Energy Market Regulatory Authority in Turkey granted a license to the Aksa Axen Energy Trade Company to export 150 megawatts of electricity to Iraq, starting from Monday for a period of 11 months, via the Silopi-Zakho line. Turkish news reports indicated that, according to the contract concluded with the Iraqi side, the electricity supply to Iraq will start from December 28 and until November 1, 2021. Turkey currently exports electricity to 3 countries: Georgia, Greece and Bulgaria. And the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity announced, earlier today, that Iran decided to reduce Iraq's supply of gas fuel from 5 million to 3 million cubic meters for non-payment of debts, warning that this would make the electricity supply almost non-existent in Baghdad and the Middle Euphrates, while the Iranian Minister of Energy will visit Iraq Next Tuesday to discuss gas supply and financial dues. The decision to reduce the rate of Iranian gas supply comes two weeks after a similar decision was taken to reduce the processing rate from 50 million cubic meters to 5 million cubic meters. "The reduction will make the supply of electricity almost non-existent in Baghdad and the Middle Euphrates," said the ministry's spokesman, Ahmed Moussa, noting that "talking about a complete blackout in the event of reducing gas from the Iranian side is not correct because the ministry has a national product of energy production from the stations." It operates on liquid fuels and works on national gas, but the Iranian reduction will cause a significant reduction in the hours of electricity supply. "

Iraq Signs 2-Year Electricity Import Deal with Iran 4th June 2020 - iraq-businessnews.com Iran signed an agreement on exports of electricity to neighboring Iraq, covering 2020 and 2021. The two sides signed the agreement during a visit to Baghdad by Iran's Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian, stressing their determination to broaden cooperation in the energy sector, despite American pressure on the Iraqi government to reduce economic ties with its neighbor. Ardakanian in an interview highlighted the achievements of his one-day visit to Baghdad, where he signed the contract with the Iraqi Electricity Ministry. The new agreement, he said, covers 2020 and 2021, while the previous deals had lasted for one-year periods. He said Baghdad paid Tehran about $400 million - half of Iraq's due debts to Iran for electricity supply - thanks to the Iranian Embassy's follow-up efforts in the Iraqi capital. The minister also noted that he discussed with Iraqi officials a three-year cooperation plan earlier signed between the countries' private sectors to reconstruct Iraq's electricity industry. He further announced plans for a visit by Iranian technical teams to Iraq next week to pen two important agreements on reducing power grid losses and repairing electricity equipment, according to Press TV. Heading a delegation of electricity experts, Ardakanian visited Iraq on Wednesday and held meetings with senior officials, including Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, President Barham Salih and Electricity Minister Majid Mahdi Hantoush. The Iraqi Prime Minister's office said in a statement that Kadhimi had, in his meeting with Ardakanian, stressed Baghdad's willingness to develop the best of relations with its neighbors. The two sides exchanged views on cooperation opportunities in the energy sector and boosting bilateral ties between the two neighboring states, according to the statement. Kadhimi also underlined the need for maximum efforts to resolve complicated problems gripping the region. Separately, the Iraqi president's office released a statement on Ardakanian's meeting with Salih, saying the latter called for bilateral interactions, especially in the fields of electricity and water. The two officials, the statement read, also explored ways to enhance bilateral relations in all sectors in line with mutual interests. Iraq and Iran share a 1,400-kilometer-long border. Except for gas and power, Iraq depends on Iran for everything from food, fruits and vegetables to machinery and home appliances. Iranian energy accounts for between 30 and 40 percent of the electricity consumed in Iraq. Over the past months, Washington has been pressing Baghdad to stop buying natural gas and electricity from Tehran as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at choking off Iran's revenue. Illegal US sanctions are preventing Iran from repatriating its money. Last month, Iraq's former electricity minister Luay al-Khatteeb said Iran will remain a key source of energy to the Arab country for years to come until suitable alternatives materialize. Link: https://www.iraq-businessnews.com/2020/06/04/iraq-signs-2-year-electricity-import-deal-with-iran/

American site: Iraq is on the verge of severe energy crisis Economie 2020-02-09 | 12:32 1,923 views With the deadline for the US renewal of the exemption allowing Iraq to import gas and electricity from Iran later this month, the three main players in this ongoing geopolitical saga have been preparing for all possible outcomes, and in fact, every country is seeking to achieve results that go beyond mere gas sales. The author, Simon Watkins, said in a report published by the American "Oil Price", that "the determination of the positions began in earnest last week through the confirmation of the head of the Iraqi Trade Bank, Faisal Al-Heims, that the bank will stop processing payments if the United States does not renew the exemption at the end of this month." . "This matter will affect the electricity payments of 1400 megawatts and 28 million cubic meters of gas coming from Iran, which Iraq needs to maintain the work of its main infrastructure," Watkins added . In this context, the energy demand in Iraq during the summer exceeds the local generation capabilities, and worse still, this is capable of causing major popular unrest in the country, and it seems that the continuous power outages were one of the motives of the widespread protests that erupted recently throughout Iraq. . https://www.alsumaria.tv/news/اقتصاد/334032/موقع-أمريكي-العراق-مقبل-على-أزمة-طاقة-حادة

20-05-2019 11:20 AM Iraq joins the Gulf electricity grid .. Summer 2020 start Baghdad Iraq plans to join the Gulf electricity grid in the second half of this year and start supplying electricity to Iraq in the summer of 2020. Eng. Ahmed Al Ibrahim, Executive Chairman of the Gulf Electricity Interconnection Authority, said in a press statement that "the tenders for the electricity interconnection project with southern Iraq are being finalized for the second half of this year." Ibrahim explained that "the Authority will begin coordination through the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council for meetings with the Iraqi side to discuss the plan to implement the project work." "It is hoped that if the agreement with the Iraqi side in May or June next, the Commission can provide Iraq with electricity capacity of up to 500 MW with the start of the summer of 2020." He stressed that "the project of connecting with Iraq, which comes within the plan to expand the network of the Gulf electrical link, which is implemented by the Commission in the second half of this year, is a vital and strategic project for the GCC countries, especially that there is a diligent work to develop partnership relations between the GCC countries and Iraq in the areas Economic, political and cultural. " He pointed out that "the Commission supports these trends through the project of electric linkage with Iraq, so the Commission works on the project in southern Iraq, specifically Basra, which is an extension of the current electrical connection," asserting that "there will be a link from the station in Kuwait to an extension to southern Iraq capacity 400 kV, and the capacity to 1800 MW, which will be reached through ongoing negotiations between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Ministry of Electricity in Iraq, "expected that" Iraq will be provided electric power during the summer of 2020. " He explained that "the Commission has similar plans to connect with other countries, as last April witnessed a roundtable meeting included a delegation of the Association with representatives from the Indian side, especially that there is great interest in projects linking with Asian countries, particularly India. He said that "the Gulf Interconnection Authority has received a request to be a member of a special committee to manage the process of electricity linkage and energy markets in Asia," pointing out that "these projects will be implemented during the second half of this year." Al-Ibraheem continued to "prepare the studies of the electrical connection with Jordan and Egypt to reach Europe, where the studies are still going on between all aspects. In addition, the Commission is now in the process of collecting information for preliminary studies linking with Ethiopia and Yemen, long studies that will take longer "He said. He stressed that "there is a continuous work to develop the energy trade project between the GCC countries, where there is a major role played by the Interconnection Authority to reach bilateral agreements for the exchange of energy trade during the summer period, as several contracts have been awarded to exchange energy between some Gulf countries, "The demand for energy is expected to increase this year," he said, referring to the "steady increase in the volume of energy trade exchange over the past years."

Iran cuts off electricity to sweltering Iraq due to unpaid fees: Ministry John J. Catherine | 3 hours ago Share share Many in Iraq must rely on private neighborhood generators as the national system is unable to provide the required amount of energy. (Photo: Archive) Iran Iraq Baghdad A+AA- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s electricity ministry said on Friday that the portion of the national power supplied by Iran had been cut off due to funds owed by Baghdad, and that the decision would exacerbate the yearly shortages experienced in the hot summer months. Ministry Spokesperson Mosaab al-Madras was quoted by the Anadolu Agency as saying that Iraq's rising debt to its neighbor was the reason for Iran's recent action. He did not specify the amount owed, but media reports have suggested it could be as much as $1 billion in unpaid fees for the supplied power. "The Ministry of Electricity calls on citizens to increase the rationalization of electricity consumption to reduce the burden of the electrical system due to the suspension of the processing of electric power from the Islamic Republic of Iran, [a] capacity of (1000) megawatts," read a statement released earlier on the ministry's website. It continued by saying the move "directly and negatively affected the number of hours of processing," in the southern provinces of Basra, Nasiriyah, and Amara. Rising temperatures in the country lead to increased air conditioning usage, putting extra strain on the nation's beleaguered power infrastructure. Electricity cuts have been frequent in Iraq as the national system is unable to provide the required amount of energy in times of extreme heat, notably in the three provinces named by the ministry, where protests against power shortages are common. "Work is underway," said the statement, "in coordination with the Iranian side, to bring these lines back to operation." http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/5109cf38-809b-4098-aca7-3c5bbc2c1253

Iraq is preparing an alternative electricity plan in the event of an Iranian-American war The economy of oil and energy parliamentaryAbdul Amir Al - MayahiThamer Ghadhbanelectricity 2019/05/22 12:55:50 The oil and energy parliamentary committee suspended on Wednesday concerns over the impact of supplying electricity to Iraqis if the Iran-US war took place. "The oil and energy committee of the parliament hosted today Minister of Oil Thamir al-Ghadhban. The issue of equipping citizens with electricity and alternative energy from imported energy was discussed," said member of the committee Abdel-Amir al-Mayahi. "The minister promised that there will be alternative energy in the event of an emergency in the region, and there is a lot of production capacity exists, but not used properly, and there is a contract concluded with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to import energy," the minister told us. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Iran would face "enormous power" if it tried to do anything against US interests in the Middle East. https://www.shafaaq.com/ar/اقتصـاد/العراق-يجهز-خطة-بديلة-للكهرباء-بحال-نشوب-حرب-ايرانية-أمريكية/