The Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the operation of an electricity link between Iraq and Turkey began on Sunday, adding that the network will begin supplying Iraq with a capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity.
According to the statement, the electricity imported through the 115-kilometre-long link line will be used to provide supplies to three regions in northern Iraq.
Iraq currently imports between a third and 40 percent of its electricity and gas supplies from Iran, but still suffers from widespread power outages, especially in the hot summer months when demand for electricity for cooling purposes rises.
Iran cuts its supplies frequently when it needs more electricity at home and also because Iraq is struggling to pay for imports due to US sanctions on Iran.
The United States is pressuring Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, to reduce its reliance on Iranian gas.
The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said in a statement: “This important international connection for energy exchange is considered a major achievement for the government, especially since it has been lagging behind for about 20 years.”
She pointed out that the project to link Iraq and Turkey began in 2004, but was delayed.
Iraq suffers from a gap in electricity production, as it consumes more than 23 thousand megawatts, compared to a previous production of only 19 thousand megawatts.
Other connectivity projects
The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity said that Iraq will also complete a connection line to the Kuwaiti electricity grid by the end of 2024.
An electricity interconnection line between Jordan and Iraq began delivering supplies last March, providing the grid in western Iraq with a capacity of 40 megawatts.
The Minister of Electricity confirmed at the time that the electricity interconnection project between Iraq and Jordan extends over 3 stages and its capacity is scheduled to reach 500 megawatts in its third stage after activating the tripartite interconnection between Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.
