16 April 2011
Baghdad - The Iraqi Electricity Ministry said on Saturday that it has agreed with Turkey to raise water levels in the shared Euphrates River in order to allow the Hindiya hydro-power station, which produces 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity, to function at full capacity.
The ministry's Musab al-Mudarres told AKnews that an agreement is also expected between Iraq and Syria that the latter will not exploit this increase in the Euphrates river's water-levels before reaching Iraq.
"Raising the level of water in the Tigris and the Euphrates will contribute significantly to the development of energy projects, especially the establishment of hydroelectric generating stations which will be located close to the dams," he said.
A number of energy affairs experts and Iraqi parliamentarians have remarked that the most prominent challenge facing Maliki's government is the national provision of electrical power during the coming summer season.
Electricity shortages in Iraq were central to the complaints of protestors in the wave of public demonstrations that swept through the country in February and March this year.
With summer temperatures often soaring over 50 degrees Celsius, the majority of Iraqi households still only benefit from between six and eight hours of national electricity each day.
According to government figures, the energy available to Iraq currently stands at around 9,000 MW of energy, while demand is estimated at up to 14,000 MW during the summer months.
Iraq's power stations and distribution networks, already suffering from years of neglect attributed to the economic sanctions imposed on the country by the UN in 1990, were badly damaged during the allied invasion of the country in 2003 and by repeated acts of insurgent sabotage thereafter.
The Iraqi government meanwhile has announced plans to increase the country's generative capacity to 27,000 MW over the next four years, requiring an investment of between $3bn and $4bn per year.
On Thursday, the Iraqi ministry of electricity concluded an agreement with Turkey for the provision of 200 MW through the joint linkage system by 2013.
On April 13, the Korean firm Mina was contracted to construct 25 electricity generating plants across Iraq with an overall capacity of 2,500 MW.
The Electricity Ministry presented in December projects for the construction of four gas-powered electricity generating plants, open for investment within the first licensing round, in order to double its production over the coming years.
The parliamentary energy commission expressed on Tuesday however its fears that the Ministry of Electricity depends too heavily on the licensing rounds to meet the country's demands for electrical power.
Baghdad - The Iraqi Electricity Ministry said on Saturday that it has agreed with Turkey to raise water levels in the shared Euphrates River in order to allow the Hindiya hydro-power station, which produces 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity, to function at full capacity.
The ministry's Musab al-Mudarres told AKnews that an agreement is also expected between Iraq and Syria that the latter will not exploit this increase in the Euphrates river's water-levels before reaching Iraq.
"Raising the level of water in the Tigris and the Euphrates will contribute significantly to the development of energy projects, especially the establishment of hydroelectric generating stations which will be located close to the dams," he said.
A number of energy affairs experts and Iraqi parliamentarians have remarked that the most prominent challenge facing Maliki's government is the national provision of electrical power during the coming summer season.
Electricity shortages in Iraq were central to the complaints of protestors in the wave of public demonstrations that swept through the country in February and March this year.
With summer temperatures often soaring over 50 degrees Celsius, the majority of Iraqi households still only benefit from between six and eight hours of national electricity each day.
According to government figures, the energy available to Iraq currently stands at around 9,000 MW of energy, while demand is estimated at up to 14,000 MW during the summer months.
Iraq's power stations and distribution networks, already suffering from years of neglect attributed to the economic sanctions imposed on the country by the UN in 1990, were badly damaged during the allied invasion of the country in 2003 and by repeated acts of insurgent sabotage thereafter.
The Iraqi government meanwhile has announced plans to increase the country's generative capacity to 27,000 MW over the next four years, requiring an investment of between $3bn and $4bn per year.
On Thursday, the Iraqi ministry of electricity concluded an agreement with Turkey for the provision of 200 MW through the joint linkage system by 2013.
On April 13, the Korean firm Mina was contracted to construct 25 electricity generating plants across Iraq with an overall capacity of 2,500 MW.
The Electricity Ministry presented in December projects for the construction of four gas-powered electricity generating plants, open for investment within the first licensing round, in order to double its production over the coming years.
The parliamentary energy commission expressed on Tuesday however its fears that the Ministry of Electricity depends too heavily on the licensing rounds to meet the country's demands for electrical power.
© AK News 2011
