Iran, Iraq Ink Electricity Contract

Feb 27, TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran signed contracts with Iraq to cooperate in the latter's electricity sector, the official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday. Iraqi Ministry of Electricity has signed a U.S.72 million dollar contract with Iranian Sanir company, according to an announcement released Tuesday, quoted by IRNA.

Sanir is due to construct two gas-powered units for Dibris power plant in Kirkuk in northeastern Iraq in order to increase the country's electricity capacity by 320 megawatts (MW) within 14 months.

Other electricity contracts worth 69.8 million dollars have been signed between the Iraqi ministry and other Iranian companies to double the power generation capacity of Sadr power plant in Baghdad within 12 months, IRNA said without specifying the date and locus of signing the contracts.

In November, Majid Salehi, managing director of Iran Power Development Company, said that Tehran and Baghdad have agreed to finish an electricity transfer line connecting Iran's Karkheh dam to al-Emara in Iraq, which will take 1,000 MW of electricity to the Iraqi city every year.

The capacity can be further increased to 1,150 MW upon the request of the Iraqi side. According to the local satellite Press TV, Iran had a total annual electricity generation capacity of 63,403 MW by November.

Iran currently exchanges electricity with countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

Iran Expands Electricity Grid To EU

Dec. 9, 2011 M. Moezzi Trend News Agency, Baku, Azerbaijan

A new electricity line from Iran to Armenia and Georgia will send Iran's electricity through to Europe, said Iran's Deputy Energy Minister Mohammad Behzad, Pana news reports.

The completion of a 230 KW electric cable from Iran to Armenia will provide the possibility of connecting Iran's and Georgia's electricity network, whilst increasing the overall capacity to trade energy with Iran's neighbors to 400 KW, the minister told Pana. Currently Georgia's electricity is routed through Azerbaijan.
Armenia's minister of energy welcomed the project last week and said it would triple the electricity exchanged between Armenia and Georgia, Pana reported.

Iran and Azerbaijan are currently discussing a project to connect Iran's electricity network to Russia while talks are also under way with Turkey to connect Iran's grid to Lebanon in addition to plans to connect its network to Persian Gulf countries. If these talks are successful, Iran will be a strong electricity hub in the region. Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will all buy electricity from Iran.

Iran's capacity to export electricity has increased 24 per cent since the implementation of its targeted subsidies program and is expected to earn $1 billion by the end of this year (Iran's solar year ends in March), according to Pana.

(c) 2011 Xinhua News Agency