Jordan's Mass Group Holding and US-headquartered GE Vernova have signed an eight-year services agreement to support the third phase of Iraq's Bismaya independent power producer (IPP) project.

Phase 3 of the Bismaya IPP is equipped with four GE Vernova 9F gas turbines.

According to an official statement, the Phase 3 service agreement was contracted in the second quarter of 2024 and builds on prior operations and maintenance (O&M) and long-term service agreements GE Vernova secured for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project.

The announcement of the new contract coincided with the completion of the upgrade of the project's Phase 1, which entails four 9F.04 gas turbines, as well as the start of upgrades for an additional four 9F.04 gas turbines in Phase 2.

The comprehensive upgrade works is also known as advanced gas path (AGP).

According to GE Vernova, the Phase 1 AGP upgrades enhance the plant's performance and operational flexibility, "enhancing efficiency and availability, as well as output by up to 6%, while improving the efficiency of fuel consumption and extending the lifespan of assets".

With the completion of Phase 2 expected in the first quarter of 2025, the eight 9F turbines are expected to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 477,000 metric tonnes annually for the same level of power production, the company said.

The phase 1 upgrades at the plant also marked the first live outage in Iraq, a new digital approach that "improves the field execution experience for our teams and our customers", according to Steve Kessinger, vice president and CEO, GE Vernova’s Gas Power Global Services.

Mass Group Holding owns and operates three other power plants in Iraqi Kurdistan that are equipped with GE's gas turbines. They are located in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk.

The four power plants have a total combined capacity of approximately  9,000MW.

Bismaya IPP

In June 2020, GE completed O&M works on four 9F.03 gas turbines, two steam turbines and six generators at the Bismaya power plant.

Iraq’s electricity minister signed a contract with Mass Group Holding and GE to develop the third phase of the Bismaya IPP in September 2019.

The third phase increased the capacity of the plant by 1.5GW, bringing the total capacity of the plant to 4.5GW. Mass Group Holding will develop the plant under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Electricity Ministry.

The Bismaya IPP forms part of Iraq’s programme to develop fast-track electricity capacity, with many areas of the country suffering from power shortages, especially during the summer months.