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Official to inaugurate Saudi-Iraq power link

10 October 2023

The interconnection between the regional GCC electricity grid and Iraq is due to be inaugurated today.

Eastern Province governor, Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, will inaugurate the project at the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) headquarters in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The so-called Gulf electricity market project will enable the GCC countries to enter into bilateral or multilateral agreements, as well as reserve the necessary transmission lines for electricity transfer among GCC countries.

It is understood that the platform will also enable Iraq to exchange and trade electricity with the GCC countries collectively, separately, or individually.

A statement issued by the Eastern Region governor's office notes: "The GCCIA will replace the current electricity market management system with a new one that aligns with the new phase, enabling it to respond effectively to the ongoing market developments and achieve the specific goals and needs of the GCCIA in connecting the GCC countries with Iraq."

In February this year, GCCIA confirmed the award of five contracts worth $220m for the construction of infrastructure linking the region’s electricity grid with Iraq’s.

The project involves the construction of a double circuit 400-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from the Wafra station in Kuwait to the Al-Faw station in south Iraq with a total transmission capacity of 1,800MW and a length of 295 kilometres.

To be completed within 24 months, the project’s first stage is expected to supply Iraq with 500MW of electricity, the GCCIA added.

The contracts were signed with:

  • KEC International (local)
  • Kalpataru Power Transmission (India)
  • Calik Enerji (Turkey)
  • Cegelec Saudi Arabia (local/France)
  • National Contracting Company (NCC)

In March, GCCIA awarded Japan’s Hitachi Energy a contract to upgrade the Al-Fadhili high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station in Saudi Arabia.

Once upgraded, the Al-Fadhili station will be able to exchange up to 1,800MW of electricity between the six states.

Interconnections under way

In December 2021, Saudi Arabia and Egypt awarded $1.8bn-worth of contracts for building a high-voltage direct current network to enable the daily exchange of up to 3,000MW of electricity between the two countries.

Recently, India said it is considering linking its electricity grid by undersea cables to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Singapore to expand access to reliable power and enhance the country’s energy security.

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Jennifer Aguinaldo

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