Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity said on Tuesday that the refurbished Unit 1 of Hartha Thermal Power station in Basra is expected to start operations in June.
In January 2018, a consortium led by Japan’s Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) was awarded an order to restore Unit 1’s output to the rated 200 megawatts after MHPS successfully executed the refurbishment for Unit 4 in the previous year. The work on Unit 1 was scheduled for completion in 2020, according to the Japanese firm’s press statement.
The Ministry said in its statement that Unit 1’s completion had been delayed by more than a year adding that the order’s completion rate was discussed with officials of MHPS and Turkey’s Gama.
The maintenance of Unit 4 was also discussed the statement said, noting that restoring supply from the two units will contribute to grid stability and increase the hours of electricity supply for Basra’s residents.
(Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)
