GE boosts Iraq’s electricity by 125 MW in ‘record time’

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – American giant multinational conglomerate, General Electric (GE), announced on Tuesday they have added 125 megawatts to the national electricity system of Iraq in three months.

Summer months are viewed as a test for the current government of Iraq headed by Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi to improve the electricity sector’s capacity, where power crisis reaches to the top, resulting in wide protests across the country.

Iraq continues to suffer from a severe shortage of regular, consistent power supply, despite successive governments spending about US $ 50 billion on the sector since the fall of the authoritarian system in 2003.

“We have added this amount [125 MW] of energy in a record time of three months,” said Executive Director of the company in the Middle East and North Africa, Medhat al-Marabi.

He stated that the engine was shipped, replaced, and installed in the plant, which works on the technology of the (F-9), which has the capacity to produce 500 MW.

Marabi mentioned that the country’s electricity production has reached “record numbers.”

GE has added more than 1,800 megawatts over the current quarter.

Iraq has signed two separate agreements with GE and Siemens to develop the country's electricity sector.

Iraq needs more than 23,000 megawatts of electricity to meet the needs of its population and institutions, namely in summer as temperatures reach around 50 Celsius in some cities.

The autonomous Kurdistan Region in the north of the country has increased electricity production over the past few years. The region also lacks consistent power supply, but the situation is significantly better compared to the rest of Iraq.

Editing by Nadia Riva