BAGHDAD, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- In the Iraqi provinces of Najaf and Karbala, expansion work is steadily advancing on combined-cycle power plant projects undertaken by Chinese companies, injecting new energy into Iraq's historically overburdened electricity grid.
Earlier this year, the Euphrates Add-On Combined Cycle Power Plant Projects, contracted by Shanghai Electric, officially commenced construction across four provinces: Najaf, Karbala, Babylon, and Qadisiyah. The projects upgrade the existing simple-cycle gas turbine units into combined-cycle units, adding a total capacity of 625 megawatts.
For more than three decades since the end of the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq, despite being a major oil producer in the Middle East, has struggled with chronic electricity shortages.
Most power plants in Iraq run on natural gas, which the country relies heavily on imports for. The resulting fuel gaps continue to destabilize the power supply and hinder the country's reconstruction and economic growth.
Gao Shoujiang, executive deputy manager of the Najaf 2×9E Add-On Combine-Cycle Power Plant Project, told Xinhua that the upgrade captures high-temperature exhaust from the existing simple-cycle unit and directs it through Chinese-made heat recovery boilers to produce high-pressure steam. The steam then drives the new steam turbine generator, increasing output without additional fuel consumption.
"Chinese equipment and power technology help us reuse high-temperature exhaust, boosting generation capacity while reducing thermal pollution caused by the original units," said Naseem Ayad, Najaf project manager on the Iraqi side.
"This project is a model for Iraq's power upgrades," he said, adding that it also reflects local hopes for more reliable electricity and better living conditions.
In Karbala, the companion project is moving ahead as well. According to executive deputy manager Xiong Runqiang, it is among Iraq's first combined-cycle expansions to fully adopt Chinese equipment and standards.
All core components are independently designed and manufactured in China, which will promote exports of Chinese-made equipment and enhance recognition of Chinese standards in Iraq, Xiong noted.
The Euphrates expansion projects have garnered significant attention from both the Iraqi government and the public.
Iraqi Minister of Electricity Ziad Ali Fadel said that the project is of great significance to improving power supply and optimizing the country's electricity infrastructure, adding that it will help reduce Iraq's dependence on imported natural gas and save fuel costs for power generation.
He Zhuang, vice president of Shanghai Electric Power Generation Engineering CO., said that once completed, the projects will raise the generating capacity of existing plants by about 50 percent and add roughly 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
"It will contribute Chinese expertise to improving local livelihoods and supporting post-war reconstruction, while laying an energy foundation for Iraq's industrial recovery and economic development," he said.
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