Under the contracts, GE will build Samawa and Dhi Qar power plants, which will have a combined capacity of 1,500MW.
The company will initially install four 9E gas turbines in simple cycle at each of the power generation facilities by 2018. The second phase involves combined cycle conversion of the 9E units.
GE, which will serve as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the projects, will also be responsible for the supply of advanced heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) and steam turbine technology.
Additionally, the company agreed to add over 580MW of generation capacity to the national grid through upgrade and rehabilitation works at four power plants.
The work is part of Phase II of the Power Up Plan, a Iraqi Ministry of Electricity’s initiative for critical electricity generation and maintenance projects.
In order to help enhance the reliability and efficiency of installed base, GE will undertake maintenance of 9E gas turbines across six power plants in Iraq. The work will help sustain ~1.75GW of existing power generation.
Iraqi Ministry of Electricity official spokesman Musaab al-Mudarris said: “Today’s announcement with GE is another strong statement on our commitment to strengthen the nation’s power infrastructure.
“We are focused on delivering reliable, uninterrupted and efficient electricity supply for both residential and commercial use. With demand for electricity increasing every year, a transformational approach is required that is led by new projects and technology upgrades.”
In 2016, GE developed more than 700MW of additional power through existing power generation infrastructure as part of the Power Up Plan’s Phase I.
Image: GE will help Iraq meet its increasing power demand. Photo: courtesy of a454/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
