Iraq’s Electricity Minister, Ziad Ali Fadel, announced today, Friday, that the official operation of the electrical linkage between Iraq and Jordan is set to commence tomorrow, Saturday.
According to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the announcement was made by the minister’s media office, highlighting a significant achievement in the electrical cooperation between the two nations.
Minister Fadel expressed his gratitude and pride over this milestone on his X (formerly Twitter) account, stating, “With Allah’s grace and continuous efforts, we are reaping the fruits of success by officially launching the electrical connection between Iraq and Jordan tomorrow, Saturday, March 30, 2024.
One of the first benefits of this achievement will be powering the Al-Rutbah district with electricity after a decade-long struggle without a national electricity supply.”
The minister further detailed the project specifics, saying: “The electrical linkage spans 330 km within Iraqi territory and an additional 6 km within Jordan, with a voltage of 132 kV. Initially, the transmission line will supply approximately 40 megawatts of power.
In the second phase, after the completion of the line up to the Al-Qaim 400 kV station, the export capacity will increase to 150 megawatts from the Jordanian side, eventually reaching up to 500 megawatts in the future to power large parts of Anbar province.”
This pivotal project stems from a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Jordan and Iraq in December 2018, aiming to foster cooperation in the electricity sector and establish a synchronized electrical grid connection between the two countries.
This initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing energy security and infrastructure development in the region, promising to address long-standing electricity challenges in Iraq and strengthen bilateral relations.