The power industry expert’s recommendations include converting most existing gas turbine (GT) open cycle power plants to combined cycle, a move that will increase fuel utilization efficiency by up to 50%; and such a move could add more than 4000 MW to the national grid at no extra fuel cost to the nation.
In the short term, the former Chairman of the Iraqi National Committee for Technology encouraged the Ministry of Oil to follow up aggressively with IOCs to treat and pipe natural gas from natural gas fields, such Mansurya and Akkaz, urgently.
Operational improvements are also required within Iraq in order to reduce electricity transmission and distribution losses, which currently stand at around 28%. These losses should be reduced to not more than 10%.
The planned introduction of smart energy consumption metering should contribute to a substantial reduction in these losses. Moreover, increasing the electricity tariff from the current average of 1.7 USD cents per kWh to circa 4 USD cents per kWh should balance supply/demand even at current supply levels.
Despite the frenetic political situation in Iraq, Dr. Jafar advised those responsible for providing fuel and electricity to expedite anti-corruption measures and facilitate the provision of gas to idle power plants as a national priority.
(Source: Uruk)
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