Egypt has agreed to supply Iraq with 700 megawatts (MW) of electricity by expanding its power grid with Jordan in a project that will cost nearly $2.2 billion, Egypt’s Electricity Minister Mohammed Shakir was quoted on Thursday as saying. 

The project is part of an overall agreement signed in December 2020 by Egypt and Iraq and is expected to be completed in 2024, Shakir said, quoted by Aliqtisad News and other Iraqi and Egyptian publications. 

He said around 500 MW would be added to a common grid linking Egypt with Jordan would boost its capacity to 2,000 MW, adding that the link between Jordan and Iraq would be executed in two phases. 

Phase 1 involves boosting Egypt’s supplies to Jordan while Phase 2 includes building 300 km supply lines from Jordan to Iraq, Shakir said, adding the lines will be installed before the end of this year. 

“The total cost of the project is estimated at 35 billion Iraqi pounds ($2.2 billion)...it will allow Egypt to supply Iraq with 700 MW via Jordan,” he said, noting that Egypt has excess electricity capacity of nearly 35,000 MW. 

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@refinitiv.com) 

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