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By Christine van den Toorn.

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

One of the most peaceful towns in Iraq, near one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq, is under threat. Bashiqa is in danger of becoming a troubled metaphor for the conflicts that threaten the rest of Iraq.

For about a decade, Bashiqa, a small village only 30 kilometres from Mosul, arguably the most dangerous place in Iraq, has avoided the violence that has plagued the rest of the country. Until recently, that is.

At the end of October, two car bombs exploded just outside the main city checkpoint which resulted in three deaths and over twenty casualties. The checkpoint is just beyond downtown Bashiqa.

And just over a week before that during the annual holiday of Eid, two car bombs were discovered in the rural Shabak-dominated villages around Bashiqa. One exploded - though there were no casualties. The other was discovered before it was able to be detonated - many locals think it was on the way to Mam Ritha, a centuries old Shiite Muslim shrine.

Yet in the past, Bashiqa’s locals have been proud that there have been explosions everywhere in Iraq “ila Bashiqa” (“except for Bashiqa”).

Why then, has violence now come to the town after so many years?

By John Lee.

A member of Iraq's Oil and Energy parliamentary committee has said that the Ministry of Electricity has taken over the task of inspecting the fuel used in electricity stations from the Ministry of Oil's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).

Suzan al-Saad told AIN that there have been problems with the quality of the fuel used in electricity stations, and this has caused many problems and wasted of a lot of money.

In many cases the problems are caused by the importing ships not meeting the required technical specifications.

(Source: AIN)

(Picture: Taji power station)

Elsewedy Electric (SWDY), the leading wire cable and integrated energy solution provider in the Middle East and Africa, through one of its subsidiaries, announces the signing of a US$ 169 Million contract in Iraq with the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity to build and operate a new power plant in Diwaniya, with four 125 MW General Electric gas turbines.

The gas-fired 500 megawatt power projects is located 23 km west of Aldiwaniya city and shall be completed within 18-months on an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) basis. The contract does not include the supply of the four GE gas turbines that have already been purchased by the Government of Iraq from General Electric in a mega deal that consisted of 56 gas turbines in 2008.

Elsewedy Electric’s scope of work includes design, procurement and installation of all balance of plant in addition to the erection and testing of the GE gas turbines. In addition, Elsewedy Electric will be responsible for the spare parts and six months of operation and maintenance after the completion of the project.

The Arab Contractors will be responsible for all the civil, construction and site utilities for the project.

Iraq, holder of the world’s fifth-largest oil reserves, is struggling to raise power supplies, which are currently at about 7,500 megawatts, or half of its domestic demand of about 15,000 megawatts.

Elsewedy Electric’s first office in Iraq was opened in 2006 in Erbil.

(Source: Elsewedy Electric)

By John Lee.

Iraq's Ministry of Electricity has announced that a contract was signed with the Japanese Mitsubishi Corporation to supply Iraq with 400 KV transformers.

The contract, to be delivered within 18 months, is valued at $38 million.

(Sources: NMC, Aswat al-Iraq, AIN)

The last in a convoy of American armoured vehicles rolled across the border into Kuwait on the chilly morning of December 18, 2011, marking the completion of the US withdrawal from Iraq.

One year later, many Iraqis still lack basic services such as consistent electricity and clean water, and though levels of violence are down, insurgents continue to carry out bombings and shootings almost every day.

(Source: AFP)

By John Lee.

South Korea's STX Heavy Industries has said it has won a $150-million order to construct and operate a power plant in Amara, in Missan province.

Under the turnkey contract signed with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity, STX will take responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the plant for a year after its completion.

It will be equipped with four 125-megawatt gas turbines, and is to be completed by June 2014.

A 200-MW, diesel-fueled station to the north of Amara was also built by STX and opened in June.

Reuters reports that in July STX won a $195-million contract from a consortium led by Italian energy company ENI to build an oil and gas processing plant in Basra.

(Source: Reuters)

By John Lee.

KBR has announced that it has been awarded the Mansuriya Full Field Development contract to perform front end engineering and design (FEED) studies and Quality Control Support Services (QCSS) for the Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company (TPOC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), in Diyala Province.

The Mansuriya project is expected to help alleviate current problems with intermittent electricity experienced in Iraq by supplying fuel to power stations and feedstock for industrial plants.

KBR will perform FEED studies and QCSS during the EPC phase for the field’s production and export systems, which systems extend from immediately downstream of the well up to and including the road-loading gantries at the liquefied petroleum gas storage and loading facility and sulphur bagging and storage.

The FEED study and QCSS are designed to help TPOC start the first gas production in mid-2015 and help raise the Mansuriya field raw gas production to receive a plateau level of approximately 320 MMscf/d net dry gas by mid-2017, which is expected to be maintained for an estimated period of 13 years.

Services for the project will be based out of KBR’s offices in London and Jakarta. KBR’s Baghdad office will play a role in supporting local employee content for the project. The project is expected to be completed in 2017.

Khaled Abu-Nasrah (pictured), President, Middle East Region, commented:

"The Mansuriya project builds upon KBR’s long-standing commitment to serve Iraq and further solidifies our position as a premier contractor in the Middle East

"KBR brings the experience and expertise of working in logistically challenging areas like Diyala, so we are able to successfully navigate issues to help TPOC meet its first gas date. I am confident that KBR’s successful execution of this project will position us for additional services in Iraq and throughout the region."

Mansuriya participating interests are: TPAO (operator –37.5%), Oil Exploration Company (25%), Kuwait Energy (22.5%) and Korea Gas Corporation (15%).

(Source: KBR)

By John Lee.

Syscom 18, the Romanian company specialising in industrial automation and measuring systems, has won a contract worth three million euros in Iraq.

The project involves the "design, construction, installation, electrical and automation side and starting operations of 40 fiscal metering systems", to be integrated into two power plants; project completion is scheduled for the second half of 2013.

Ion Andronache, President of Syscom 18, commented:

"The fast development pace of the oil and gas segment in the region, but also our previous work experience in other countries in the Middle East, helped us win this project.

"Given that the regional markets continued to have a high economic potential, their financial and energy resources remained at important parameters and the Middle East further needs equipment of industrial measurement and control for oil exploitation.

"Six years ago still, we decided to orient a significant part of our business efforts to the external market and we did well. This year, about 25 percent of our revenue structure comes from international projects."

He continued:

"Iraq is for us a region of great interest. There are currently some serious opportunities for foreign companies wishing to implement projects in the Iraqi energy field. Their national development plans aim to satisfy, through the large projects of providing electricity, population's increasing energy demands.

"So that power plants will be built, imports of electricity will increase, infrastructure is to be constructed. In other words, large investments into projects are expected, and experienced foreign companies in the field will also have access, those capable to implement short or long-term projects.

"Beyond the construction and operation of the power systems and units, opportunities will arise for the training of Iraqi engineers, managers and other staff in the energy sector."

(Source: ACT Media)

By Abdul-Khaleq Dosky.

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

or years the village of Bava has gone without electricity. But now a local handicapped man has built a water generator in a nearby river and inadvertently started a campaign for more green hydropower in Iraq.

The tiny village of Bava, right in the middle of Iraq’s northern Dohuk province, hasn’t had any electricity supply for years. And little did locals think that the Khabur River, which flows right alongside their homes and which supplies them with water and fish, would ever be the source of power for them. But that is exactly what has happened.

A 40-year-old local, handicapped man, Khaled Hussein, has managed to build a water pressure engine that utilises the river’s flow to generate electricity for the entire village, which – admittedly - is made up of only about eight homes. Still locals say it’s a great example of local ingenuity solving what is a national problem. All the other generators they know of are fuelled by gasoline.

And Hussein’s ingenuity means that unlike in the rest of Iraq, which is plagued by regular power cuts, this relatively remote village has power almost all the time.

“I always wanted to invent an engine that operated without fuel or oil,” Hussein told NIQASH. “I had this idea since I was young and now it’s become a reality.”

By John Lee.

A spokesperson for Iraq's Electricity Ministry, Musaib al-Mudarisi, says the newly constructed power plant in Babel is now fully operational, adding 250 megawatts of power to the national grid.

The plant comprises two generating units, each with 125 megawatts, and has already been linked to the national grid.

The plant was inaugurated by Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki who in his opening remarks noted that “Iraq ... will have surplus power.” The ministry has promised to put an end to power cuts by the end of 2013 at the latest.

(Source: Azzaman)