Iraq has broken ground on the first phase of the Second Beiji Gas Power Plant in Salah al-Din province, a critical infrastructure project aimed at stabilising the country’s electricity supply.
The 1,014-megawatt plant will be developed by a consortium of Germany’s Siemens Energy and China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), the government confirmed.
The project involves the rehabilitation of six Siemens gas turbine units, each with a capacity of 169 MW. It also includes the development of key transmission infrastructure: a 400-kilovolt load dispatching network comprising seven circuits to feed six lines into the national grid, and a new 132-kilovolt network with 16 lines to serve the surrounding Salah al-Din province.
According to Iraqi officials, the first two units are expected to come online within 27 months, with additional units to follow at intervals of two months each.
The announcement underscores Iraq’s renewed push to expand and modernise its electricity sector amid chronic power shortages, especially during peak summer demand. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, speaking through his media office, said the government has allocated significant financial resources for upgrades across generation, transmission, and distribution systems as part of a broader national development strategy.
“This vital project reflects our commitment to improving electricity production in all regions of Iraq,” Al-Sudani stated, calling energy infrastructure a “cornerstone” of the country’s economic recovery and long-term growth plans.
