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Energy & Utilities
The energy and utilities sector in Iraq - mainly comprising electricity, heating, ventilation and lighting - is critical for the rebuilding of Iraq. The sector is in desperate need of repair, with the power sources in operation only supplying a fraction of the electricity the country needs.
To satisfy peak demand for electricity in the country, an additional 50 per cent of power needs to be generated. Years of fuel shortages and a lack of regular maintenance have severely limited the supply of dependable electricity. Looting and sabotage following the war left a number of Iraq's major transmission lines inoperable. Given these requirements, companies will have a wide range of opportunities within the power sector. |
The United Nations (UN) has undertaken several projects, one of which concerns the rehabilitation of the Iraqi electricity sector. The UN Development Program (UNDP) has implemented the Electricity Network Rehabilitation Program (ENRP) to rehabilitate the networks in the northern governorates of Erbil, Dohuk and Suleimaniya across the generation, transmission, substations and distribution sectors. Through this, the UNDP has built up capacity to implement an operation of $800 million. This work has had a stabilising effect for approximately 380,000 households (approximately 2.7 million people). ENRP has so far awarded 25 contracts with a combined value of $238 million.
Iraq's Ministry of Electricity has proposed the construction of combined cycle plants, transmission line additions, the completion of thermal power stations (some of these were started under the Oil For Food Program) and the training of technicians. Major power infrastructure projects have also been incorporated within the potential scope of the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Capital Construction contract. |
