Jordan says electric link with Iraq to begin operation on Saturday

Jordan said an electricity grid inter-connection with Iraq will go into operation on Saturday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The electric line between Jordan’s Risha power station and Iraq’s Rutba station will have a capacity of 13 megawatts, Amjad Rawashdeh, head of the Jordanian National Electric Power Company, told the state news agency, Petra.

The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity also confirmed that the power supply line is fully ready for operation.

Last year, Amman and Baghdad signed an agreement to supply Iraq with a capacity of 40 megawatts of electricity.

In October 2022, Iraq and Jordan laid the foundation stone for an electrical inter-connection project between the two neighbouring countries.

Iraq generates some 19,000-21,000 megawatts, but the country’s actual need tops 30,000 megawatts, according to Iraqi officials.

For years, Baghdad has imported 1,200 megawatts of electricity from neighbouring Iran to feed its local electric power plants.

In 2022, Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Saudi Arabia for electricity interconnection between the two neighbours.

READ: Jordan, Iraq sign agreement for electricity supply