Iraq is interested in expanding technical and engineering collaboration with Iran, the country’s Electricity Minister Luay al-Khateeb said during a tour of MAPNA Industrial Group’s technical and engineering companies in Fardis, Alborz Province, 40 km west of Tehran.
Commending Iran's noticeable progress in the technical and engineering fields, al-Khateeb hoped for effective cooperation with Iran in these fields, ILNA reported.
With help from MAPNA and its modern technology for power plant construction “we can develop our energy infrastructure,” the minister was quoted as saying.
“Over the past 15 years, Iraq has been a major importer of electricity. By developing relations with Iran we hope we too will become a producer in the region,” al-Khateeb said.
He expressed the hope that in addition to technology transfer, MAPNA would also partner with electricity engineers in his country.
MAPNA is a conglomerate of 41 Iranian companies involved in development and execution of thermal and renewable power, oil and gas, and railway transportation projects as well as manufacturing of main equipment.
Since establishment in 1993, the company has undertaken over 100 projects costing an estimated $34 billion.
MAPNA exports to Iraq, Indonesia, Oman, Pakistan, Syria and Russia and has said it is ready for building technical and engineering cooperation with other countries
Power plants commissioned by the major group have a total capacity of 35,000 MW. Synchronized capacity of plants built by MAPNA constitutes nearly half of the domestic power output.
MAPNA exports products to Iraq, Indonesia, Oman, Pakistan, Syria and Russia and has said it is ready for building technical and engineering cooperation with other countries.
The company is constructing a combined-cycle power plant that will produce 540 megawatts in Syria’s western port city of Latakia.
The Energy Ministry in Tehran has made known that it is willing and able to forge closer ties to Iraq and help rebuild the war-stricken country's power industry and train its workers.
It is reported that cooperation agreements include construction of a power plant, upgrading power plants and reducing power grid losses.
Tavanir Contract
Before arriving at the MAPNA premises, al-Khateeb signed an agreement with the managing director of Iran's Organization for Management of Electric Power Generation and Transmission (Tavanir), Muhammad Hassan Motevallizadeh. As per the deal, Iran has agreed to annually export 1,200 megawatts of electricity to the Arab country for three years through Iraqi transmission lines in Basra, Diyala and Amarah.
The first contract for Iran’s electricity export to Iraq was signed in 2005 and has been extended annually ever since.
Iraq is the biggest importer of electricity from Iran. It needs more than 23,000 MW to meet domestic demand. Years of war, internal strife and terror attacks have severely damaged its power infrastructure. Its power deficit is said to be in the region of 7,000 MW.
Baghdad has paid $5 billion of its debt to Iran for electricity imports and the rest is expected to be cleared soon.
The Energy Ministry has said it will continue to sell electricity so long as buyers respect their financial commitments and pay their bills.
Iran’s electricity generation capacity has reached 82,000 MW. According to available data, the country ranks 14th in power generation in the world.
Iran sells electricity to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and exchanges power with Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Motavallizadeh said Iran is exporting about 1,500 MW to neighboring countries and the major importer is Iraq followed by Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to reports, it is predicted that Iran’s power export should generate $33 billion by 2026.
