Iraq to start electricity imports from Kuwait: ministry
Electricity towers and transmission lines.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq will soon start importing electricity from Kuwait through power pylons, a spokesman of the Iraqi electricity ministry was quoted saying on Wednesday.
Musaab al-Madras was quoted saying in a press statement that “the ministry signed with the Kuwaiti side a memorandum of understanding for the import of electricity from Kuwait during a visit by a Kuwaiti delegation to Basra province”.
He added that “during the next period, power pylons will extend along 50 kilometers to import more than 200 megawatts for the national grid”.
He noted that Iraq continues to import electricity from Iran through four lines that deliver upto 1200 megawatts.
He also pointed that, despite the absence of power pylons between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the ministry is still considering “ad hoc solutions to transfer power between both countries”, adding that “electricity linkage with Saudi Arabia could be executed on the long run”.
Kuwait has recently hosted an international conference for financing the reconstruction of Iraqi infrastructure which had been largely damaged by the war against Islamic State militants since 2014. Iraq managed to collect donations and loans worth up to USD30 billion, much less than a previously projected USD100 billion.