Siemens has announced that it has won a major order from the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity to supply the control and instrumentation system, field equipment, and spare parts for steam turbine generators  for Iraq’s largest power plant at Al Mussaib.

The upgraded plant will be more reliable, and will have higher output and increased efficiency. Work is to be completed in 2013.

Siemens said the scope of supply includes new rotating elements for the four 320-megawatt (MW) steam turbines, generator rotors and the complete instrumentation and controls system.

The latest order follows the successful rehabilitation of the control system in unit 2 in 2009 and unit 1 in 2010, it added.

In addition to this, Siemens has also signed two separate contracts with Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity for gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substations as part of the ministry’s plans to upgrade its 132-kV power transmission network.

Under the first contract, Siemens will supply and carry out civil and supervision works on six 132/33-kV GIS substations at various locations in the country.

The second contract covers the construction of another six 132/33-kV GIS substations on a turnkey basis in Iraq. The contracts for the substations are due to be completed by October 2013, the energy giant said.

Commenting on the deal, Dietmar Siersdorfer, Siemens Energy CEO, Middle East, said:

“Iraq is facing acute and critical challenges in providing reliable power to all the country’s residents and Siemens is fully committed to assisting the Ministry of Electricity in meeting those challenges.

“We have a long history in Iraq and the wider Middle East, and understand that this is an issue of utmost importance to the Ministry and the people of Iraq. With our complete portfolio of proven products and service solutions, we are well-positioned to address this issue.”

In addition to the latest order for Al Mussaib power station, Siemens also performed the renovation of the control system in the Al Hartha power station near Basrah in 2010, which was destroyed by a fire.

(Sources: Trade Arabia)

French engineering group Alstom signed a 50 million euros contract to rehabilitate a gas-fired power station in Iraq, reports Reuters.

Alstom will work on two units of the Khor Al Zubair station in the southern city of Basra, adding 60 MW to the power supply. The first unit will be reconnected later this year and the second before the summer of 2013.

The company is already taking part in other projects in Iraq, including power plants in Mansouriya and Nineveh, and the Baghdad metro.

(Source: Reuters)

Iraq has signed a contract to buy 250 megawatts of electricity from UAE’s Oilfield Services.

Under the two-year deal, the company will provide two power plants docked on ships in Basra. The ships are expected to reach the port within a few weeks, and the plants will be connected to the grid by 31st July, the ministry said.

The contract is said to be based on a price of 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour.

Turkish ships are already docked at the port in Basra, which supply 270 MW per day to the national grid.

(Sources: Reuters, Arabian Business, Utilities-ME)

Metito, the provider of total, intelligent water management solutions in emerging markets, has announced four new projects in Iraq, worth over $185m.

Metito is partnering with the Snafee Group, to supply the process design of three sewage treatment plants, in South Basra, Um Qasser, Safwan and Shatt Al Arab, which represent a combined contract total worth over $10m.

Metito will also undertake all engineering requirements for the plants, including selection and supply of the mechanical and electrical equipment.

“Water shortages continue to plague Iraq, with droughts and lack of access to clean, safe drinking water affecting an estimated 7.6 million Iraqis, according to a report by UNESCO in 2010,” explains Mustafa Hasan, General Manager of Metito Jordan, Iraq and Syria.

“Tackling this shortage has been a matter of grave importance for the Iraq government and Metito is keen on working on projects such as these to help alleviate this shortage and give access to vital water supplies,” he added.

Metito has also been recently awarded a contract worth $9m to upgrade the main Freeha Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in the holy city of Karbala.

These developments are the latest in a long line of large scale projects Metito has leant its expertise to in over 30 years of operations in Iraq and 50 years of refined operational experience around the globe.

Abu Dhabi National Energy (TAQA), a state-owned oil explorer and power supplier, said it bought a 50 percent interest in a power plant in Iraqi Kurdistan.

According to Reuters, the plant, which has been operating since 2009, has a capacity of 750 megawatts, with an additional 250 megawatts under construction.

The company signed a joint venture agreement with Mass Global Investments for the purchase.

“There is a 15 year take or pay agreement in place with the Ministry of Electricity, Kurdistan Region. The facility receives gas from an underground pipeline connecting the Khor Mor gas field to the plant,” a company spokesman told Reuters.

The National reports that the company also has a stake in WesternZagros, the Canadian oil company that is exploring two blocks in Kurdistan.

(Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, The National)

ABB, the global power and automation technology group, has won an order from the Ministry of Electricity (MOE) in Iraq to provide a state-of-the-art power distribution management system. The solution will incorporate advanced communication technology, with monitoring and control functions, to improve the availability, performance and reliability of power supplies in the capital, Baghdad.

ABB will upgrade the existing control center with an integrated solution comprising its Network Manager SCADA DMS (supervisory control and data acquisition distribution management system) software, now a part of its Ventyx portfolio. ABB will also supply the communications equipment and RTUs (remote terminal units) to control and monitor power supplies in this densely populated area of the country.

The refurbished control centers will provide operators with a system-wide view of conditions in the distribution grid, enabling smooth operations as well as rapid detection and correction of faults. The scope of the project includes operator training.

“The refurbishment of the distribution system with advanced monitoring and control capabilities, will help improve availability and quality of electricity for consumers and support economic development in the region,” said Jens Birgersson, head of ABB’s Network Management business unit, a part of the company’s Power Systems division. “Our unique ability to facilitate the integration of operational and information technologies provides a multicomponent system from a single source, reducing both cost and complexity for our customers.”

The project is one of the several infrastructure improvement initiatives currently underway in Iraq and part of reconstruction efforts to establish a dependable power network to support economic and social development in the country.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 135,000 people.

(Source: ABB)

The Turkish company Çalık Enerji will open its 250 mega watt Khairat power station at the beginning of July, the first of 20 stations Iraq hopes to build around the country, reports AKnews.

The Deputy Prime Minister for Energy, Hussein al-Shahristani, made the announcement today and told AKnews that the Ministry of Oil will provide fuel for the plant, located in Karbala, southwest of Baghdad.

About the measures taken to address the electricity crisis during the summer, Shahristani said “the ministry will install 20 stations in different parts of the country, and the capacity of each one will reach up to 250 MW.”

Iraq needs at least 14,000 MW to meet the high demand for energy but currently has less than 7,000 MW.

(Source: AKnews)

AKnews reports that Iraq will stop importing electricity from neighboring countries by the summer of 2013.

Instead of depending on foreign countries for electricity, new capacity will be introduced over the next two years to the national grid, and energy production will reach 20,000 MW.

Ministry spokesman Musab al-Mudarres told AKnews the ministry currently has 20 projects to build new electricity power plants, and estimated that this has been 60-80 percent completed.

“The total electric power in Iraq will reach 9,000 MW next summer and new units to generate electricity will be added every three months to the national system”, he added.

Mudarres did not rule out exporting electricity to neighboring countries in the coming years.

The Iraqi Electricity Ministry signed a contract with the Turkish company Çalık Enerji last January to build the 1,250 MW Khairat power station.

(Source: AKnews)