New 52 megawatt power plant opens in Iraq (17/08/04)

Engineers from both Iraq and the US have commissioned a third southern Iraq power plant in two weeks. A 52 megawatt generator at the Khor Az Zubayr power plant, located some 40km south of Basra came online this weekend, bringing with it enough power to service 156,000 Iraqi homes.

The objective is to provide 20 hours of electricity per day by the end of the month

"This is a very important step in overcoming the power shortage across the country," said Raad Shalal, a senior official from the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity. "This will help us reach our goal of increasing power for the country." Electricity is currently available to the majority of Iraq, albeit on a limited basis.

The five million people that live in Baghdad receive 16 hours of electricity service a day, a similar level of availability to the rest of the country. The objective, according to Shalal, is to increase the daily total of available electricity to 20 hours by the end of the month.

"We know how important electricity is to the safety and security of the Iraqi people, and we continue to work on their behalf with the ministry to bring the country additional electricity," said Major Erik Stor, operations officer for the US Army Corps of Engineers Restore Iraqi Electricity Directorate. Although much focus has been placed on the struggle to power enough electricity for Baghdad, it has Stor claims that this is misleading. "It is important to remember that Baghdad was one of few cities across this nation that had electrical service prior to the regime change," he said.

"Within months of freeing the Iraqi people from the Saddam rule, power was redistributed to help build a fair and equitable national power system for Iraq and its future." Electricity production in Iraq averages 4,700 megawatts, a total that exceeds pre-war levels, servicing an estimated 14 million Iraqi homes. Despite the addition of power to the country's national grid, the demand for electricity in Iraq continues to grow, according to a report published by the Iraq Ministry of Electricity.

"With more than half a million new jobs created, new industries and new factories coming on line and with the sale of thousands of home appliances such as washing machines and air conditioners, Iraq has experienced a rapid increase in electricity demand," the report reads. "The increase in demand is a good sign of a thriving economy emerging from three decades of isolation."

Increasing available electricity is slated to continue throughout August, as additional generators are expected to come online throughout the month, bringing more electricity to the people of Iraq. Since beginning its work in the country nearly a year ago, the Corps has added an additional 1,500 megawatts to the Iraqi national grid.

Source: TradeArabia