Iraq seeks stronger Iran presence in energy sector

TEHRAN, Dec. 12 (MNA) – Iraqi Electricity Minister Kareem Waheed called for Iranian private sector to participate more actively in Iraq's energy projects.


In a meeting with Iranian Energy Minister Majid Namjoo in Tehran on Saturday, the two sides expressed their interest and preparedness to broaden cooperation.


The Iranian official said his country has two projects in hand to build power plants in Iraq, one of the projects is well underway and the other is in the preliminary stages of implementation.


The Iraqi side said his government should provide Iranian contractors working in Iraq with facilities to streamline their activity in that country.


Iran and Iraq are currently exchanging 600 megawatts of electricity, Waheed said, adding the capacity can be increased to one thousand megawatts.


The construction of factories to manufacture power generators and power plant equipment in Iraq by Iranian firms was also agreed in the meeting.


The then Iranian Minister of Energy Parviz Fattah, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz, and Iraqi Minister of Electricity Kareem Waheed inked a memorandum of understanding in May at the end of their first regional power conference held in Baghdad.


According to the MOU, the three countries agreed to bolster cooperation in the power and electricity field and link their national power grids to one another and Syria.


The Iraqi minister stated the four countries aimed at connecting their power networks to the Persian Gulf littoral states, the Central Asian nations, and to European countries in the long run.