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The Gulf electricity interconnection project with Iraq has reached 94 percent completion, with the first phase expected to supply 500 megawatts (MW) of additional electricity to the national grid, Iraq’s Electricity Ministry has announced.
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 (TWh) of electricity annually.
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 kilometres (km) of power line wiring alongside 63km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC).
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 around 285km, including 76km inside Iraqi territory from the Safwan border area to Al-Faw station, the Ministry said.
The announcement came a few days after the Washington-based Attaqa news platform reported that the commissioning of the connection has been further delayed due to regional tensions.
(Writing by N Saeed; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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