2 new units of 250 MW capacity in Karbala this year – minister

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Electricity Minister Kareem Waheed on Saturday said that two new power units of 250 megawatt capacity will be built in the city of Karbala this year, adding power cuts this summer will be 12 hours daily all over the country. “The two units will be carried out on the Karbala-Najaf highway with 125 megawatt capacity each. Once finished according to schedule, they should secure Karbala’s power needs,” said Waheed during a press conference he held at the Imam al-Hussein Mosque court in the holy Shiite city of Karbala on Saturday (May 2). “Power cuts this year will be different from that of the previous years. The cut hours will be 12 per day: power will be on for three hours and off the next three hours,” said the minister. Power used to be cut for 20 hours per day, which brought the electricity ministry under severe criticism by both politicians and citizens. The city of Karbala lies 110 km southwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.   AmR (P)/SR 1