General Electric’s GE Power business inked a $400-million turnkey contract with the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity that calls for the group to develop 14 electric substations, an effort that a Ministry spokesman described as “strengthen(ing) Iraq’s power transmission sector, through a comprehensive grid project across the nation.” The deal involves GE Power supplying transformers and circuit breakers, and other equipment needed to rehabilitate existing substations and deliver electrical power to areas of the country beset by significant electricity shortages.
GE Power will develop the substations to connect power plants in multiple provinces, some of which are in areas badly affected by conflict in the past decade.
The agreement includes four substations critical to distributing power from the Basmaya Power Plant (a 3-gigawat GE plant), which also is being equipped with eight GE 9FA gas turbines, four GE C7 steam turbines, and a selection of GE digital industrial applications.
GE also will sponsor the Ministry as it arranges financing for the utility infrastructure development through financial institutions, including export credit agencies and commercial banks.
“Our focus remains on providing our people with the most reliable and advanced technology to meet their daily needs,” stated Mussab al-Mudaris, the Ministry spokesperson, “and to accomplish this we need strong partners in this journey of development and reconstruction. GE has the technology, global capabilities and local presence to ensure the successful and sustainable execution of the project.”
