Siemens, Orascom to Rebuild Iraqi Power Plants

Siemens and Egyptian Orascom Construction signed an agreement with Iraq’s ministry of electricity to rebuild Baiji 1 and Baiji 2 gas-based power plants in northern Iraq, Siemens said September 14 in a statement.

When fully operational, the plants will have a combined generation capacity of 1.6 GW. Work at Baiji, which is about 250 km north of Baghdad, will begin once the contracts are approved by Iraq’s council of ministers and a financial agreement is reached with the ministry of finance, Siemens said. The projects are expected to be completed within 28 months after the financial closing. 

“The power plants in Baiji were severely damaged by Islamic State militants. Recovering the lost capacity from the plants will help Iraq power its biggest oil refinery located in the city, a concrete plant, and will provide electricity to thousands of homes in Salahuddin province and other areas,” Siemens said. 

Siemens will supply four new SGT5-2000E gas turbines and will inspect and revamp six exiting ones. The company will also provide two 400kV and one 132kV substations, along with generators, auxiliaries, automation and control systems, and related electrical equipment.