$22 bln Iraqi electricity project eyed by Turkish firms

Baghdad will channel $22 billion through 2015 into long-term projects to improve electricity production and distribution, Al'a Disher Zamil, the head of Iraq's independent power project (IPP), told the Iraq Power, Gas Projects conference held by Turkey's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and Middle East Business Intelligence (MEED) yesterday in Istanbul. Several Turkish companies, including Calik, which is currently running energy projects in the country, are interested in this new project, said Zamil, adding that economically reviving northern Iraq, which badly needs more power, is one of the regions being prioritized. Last month Calik laid the foundation for Iraq's Karbala Al-Khariat power plant, which is expected to produce 2,000 megawatts of energy.