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By John Lee.

Mass Global Investment Company has selected GE steam turbine technology to increase the efficiency and the output of the Erbil Power Plant in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

In operation since late 2008, the Erbil plant plays a vital role in meeting the growing power needs of Kurdistan, Iraq.

Under the new agreement, GE will supply two steam turbines that will be used to convert the Erbil plant from simple to combined-cycle operation, boosting plant output by 500 megawatts, enough additional electricity to serve 100,000 Iraqi households. The agreement also includes installation services.

Ahmad Ismail, Chairman of Mass Global, said:

"Mass Global continues to be at the forefront of meeting the power requirements of the Kurdistan Iraq region. Converting our Erbil facility to combined-cycle service supports the Kurdistan Regional Government's policy to increase the thermal efficiency of its power generation facilities. This new agreement builds on our growing relationship with GE, a global technology leader, whose proven and reliable advanced energy technology has been employed in our gas power facilities since 2006."

The project will increase thermal efficiency to more than 48%, making Erbil among the most efficient power plants in Iraq. The GE C-7 steam turbines will join eight GE Frame 9E gas turbines already operating at the site and further expands GE's growing relationship with Mass Global.

By John Lee.

Nawzad Hadi, Governor of Erbil, has visited the Kore-Qandil road project to review progress.

On his visit Mr. Hadi was accompanied by Deputy Governor Tahir Abdullah, general directors of roads, municipality and water resources in Erbil, in addition to the Mayor of Shaqlawa.

They started their visit at the Kore-Qandil road, a 49-km highway being built by the Yuksel Company at a cost of $220 million. During their visit the team insisted on finishing the project in the current year, including the tunnels at Sorki and Mirawa.

Later they visited the towns of Harir and Basirma where they checked 50,000 m2 of asphalting; another 75,000 m2 of tarmacking is ready to be carried out. They also visited the 3-billion IQD mobile electric generator which will supply all electricity needs in the Harir and Basirma area.

(Source: Erbil Governorate)

From Iran’s PressTV. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iran has reached an agreement with Iraq to increase its electricity exports to its western neighbor. Nearly 150 megawatt of electricity is expected to be added to the volume of Iran's electricity exports.

The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity has also expressed its willingness to import about 25 million cubic meter of Iranian gas for its power plants, every day.

The ministry stated that a 300 million dollar gas pipeline will be completed by the end of this year.

ABB, the global power and automation technology group, has won an order from LS Industrial Systems (LSIS) to deliver a utility communications solution that will serve seven electricity distribution control centers in Iraq.

The project is part of a larger infrastructure improvement initiative currently being carried out by the Ministry of Electricity in Iraq, aimed at establishing a dependable power network to support economic and social development in the country. The order was booked in the second quarter.

ABB will deliver a communications system, capable of transmitting data from 428 distribution substations and 150 maintenance centers in the grid to seven regional control centers. The system will include broadband wireless radios to carry both data and voice transmissions, ensuring reliable operation of the grid and supporting the speedy identification, isolation and resolution of faults.

“The establishment of an effective communications system is key to the reliability and efficiency of the grid” said Jens Birgersson, head of ABB’s Network Management business unit, a part of the company’s Power Systems division. “The breadth of our portfolio and expertise in smart grid technologies enables us to provide a multicomponent system from a single source.”

Communications play a key role in coordinating operations in electricity networks. It provides the high-performance data services required by most operational networks and supports multiple applications. For this project, that includes operational telephony and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) services.

The high-capacity wireless communication network being delivered in Iraq will bring a number of advantages to the grid. The radios can communicate over distances in excess of 50 km to provide a scalable, highly flexible and cost-effective solution. Wireless communication is well-suited to challenging terrains and built-up areas.

ABB’s comprehensive communications offering comprises fiber optic, power line carrier and wireless services, including the recently acquired Tropos wireless mesh technologies, enabling ABB to serve customers in the power, transportation, mining and public infrastructure sectors.

(Source: ABB)

By John Lee.

Greek construction company METKA, a subsidiary of the Mytilineos Group, has announced the signing of a $1.05-billion contract with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity for the construction of a combined cycle power station in Anbar.

The deal involves the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of a natural gas-powered plant with a capacity of 1,642 megawatts.

It will be built over a  32-month period, after the issue of the letter of credit.

(Source: METKA)

Keynote address by Dr Ashti Hawrami, KRG Minister of Natural Resources, to the CWC Iraq Petroleum Conference in London:

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a pleasure to be invited once again to the Iraq Petroleum conference in London. Thank you to the organizers CWC. We look forward to seeing you in Erbil at the Kurdistan-Iraq conference in December.

Ladies and gentlemen, since protests erupted across the Middle East in 2011, international attention has shifted from one scene of unrest to another.

Naturally, the impact of these turbulent developments has been felt in Iraq, which unfortunately has further added to our post-war insecurity as we continue to witness political instability and daily acts of violence.

This is why it is essential more than ever that Iraq’s current politicians continue to engage in constructive dialogue and to seek consensus as to the best ways to share the country’s power and wealth, demanded by the basic law of the land, namely the federal Constitution.

Iraq’s citizens have learned the tragic lessons about what happens when control of a country’s wealth and power rest in the hands of a few.

Given Iraq’s diverse religious and ethnic composition, we know that all attempts at enforcing majoritarian rule in such a diverse society often leads to bloodshed and always are doomed to failure.

The KRG remains committed to working with all other political blocs in Iraq to solve some of the more intractable problems, through dialogue, negotiation, and respect for the rule of law, namely the Constitution.

In this respect, the recent initiative of KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to visit Baghdad, and the return visit of the federal Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki to Erbil, reflect the seriousness with which Iraqis are trying to solve their own problems.

By Brenda Stoter for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Berma, 26, lies in a white hospital bed in the female burn unit in Erbil. Her body lies in an uncomfortable position — because her legs are not allowed to touch the bed — and her eyes show she’s in a lot of pain. Her husband and four children are nowhere to be found; only her best friend stays with her the whole time. The friend softly caresses Berman’s head, the only place on Berma’s body that has no burn marks.

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is relatively safe, its economy is flourishing and it is regarded in the West as a liberal haven in an often conservative region. But since the fall of Saddam Hussein, there has been an alarming trend — more than 1,000 women have died after setting themselves on fire. Berma is one of the young women who probably burned herself, although she will never admit it.

“One day, the family of my husband came along for a picnic in the village. We ate a snack and drank some tea. It was a nice day. At home, I washed the cups and spoons in the kitchen. All of a sudden I got really cold," she whispers. “So that’s why I turned on the heating stove. When I put the kerosene in the stove, I forgot to cut off the electricity. The thing exploded and I caught fire. It was an accident."

In Iraqi Kurdistan, and Kurdish parts of Turkey, self-burning is known as the usual method of suicide attempt by Kurdish women. Often, it is a way out of abusive situations, like domestic violence or social injustice. Therefore, in Iraqi Kurdistan it is classified as violence committed against women.

When she is being asked if she is happy with her husband, Berma pauses for a brief second. “I was 16 when I married him. No, it was not a forced marriage. He was a friend of my cousin." She avoids the eyes of her friend.

Rosh, a male nurse in the female burn department, says the story about the stove is probably false. Lack of electricity means that every house has a plentiful supply of oil and while some cases may be accidents, the nature and scale of the injuries suggest that most major burn cases are deliberate. “It almost looks like a code: When a woman mentions the stove, we all know that it was self-inflicted. We cannot do anything about it, unfortunately."

By John Lee.

The Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) has approved the applications of two Turkish companies, Aksa and Kartet, to export electricity to Iraq.

The two companies will have the "equal rights" to export power to the Mosul region of Iraq, using the existing 154 kilovolt (kV) PS3-Zakho power transmission line.

They will export around 2 billion kilowatt-hours annually.

Kartet, a subsidiary of the Turkish conglomerate Karadeniz Holding, used to supply electricity to Iraq between 2003 and 2008, but security issues and a payment row reduced sales.

Hasan Köktaş, the head of the EPDK, said that the Turkish exports of power to Iraq are worth an estimated 400 million Turkish Liras ($212 million).

(Source: Hurriyet Daily News)

By John Lee.

Iraq's Council of Ministers has ruled that the Ministry of Oil is to supply the owners of private electricity generators with fuel from 1st June to 30th September.

Owners will receive 30 litres of gasoil per KVA of generator capacity each month.

(Source: AIN)

By John Lee.

Azzaman reports that French company Alstom has started work on a new power plant in Diyala.

The 730 megawatts plant will be one of he largest in the country, and is being built at a cost of $450 million.

Electricity Minister Abdulkarim Aftan, accompanied by representatives from Alston, laid the foundation stone for the project last week.

The project is planned to be completed within 18 months.

(Source: Azzaman)