GE has signed a ?Power Up Plan? with the Iraq?s Ministry of Electricity for critical electricity generation and maintenance projects throughout the country
According to a report in Reuters, the total value of the contracts signed is more than US$1bn with financing already in place for the initial stage of projects, equalling US$328mn.
The plan comprises a set of technological solutions and upgrade projects to ensure essential incremental power, adding 700MW to the national grid in time for the summer period.
Ministry of Electricity Speaker Mussab Al Mudaris said, ?The set of solutions it brings includes upgrades and maintenance projects that will strengthen our power plant?s productivity and efficiency levels. Our integrated approach to strengthening the capacity of our national grid aims to support economic growth by delivering assured power supply to meet the needs of infrastructure development as well as domestic consumption.?
GE MEA power services president and CEO Azeez Mohammed added, ?With the introduction of our Advanced Gas Path (AGP) solution and related works agreed upon to the heavy duty gas turbines at the power plants, we can significantly scale up capacity while also minimising operational downtime. GE?s turnkey approach to the upgrades will help meet the peak summer demand for electricity.?
The ministry will supply the heavy fuel oil (HFO) to the sites, where the HFO technology is being installed, due to the scarcity of natural gas resources and to leverage the capacity of the new units.
It is estimated that more than 130 GE turbines have been installed across the country. GE?s presence in Iraq spans 40 years with offices in Baghdad, Erbil and Basra.
