Turkish power barge arrives off Iraq to ease electricity crisis

Government turns to floating power plants to meet country's shortfall

The Karadeniz Powership Orhan Ali Khan, a floating power plant, docked at the port of Umm Qasr in Basra, Iraq, on Thursday. Reuters

A Turkish power barge arrived at Iraq’s Umm Qasr port on Thursday and is expected to start generating electricity in about a week as part of the government’s plan to alleviate the severe shortfall facing the country this summer.

"The first Turkish ship to produce electricity arrived today at Umm Qasr Port with a capacity of 125 megawatts," Minister of Electricity Ziad Ali Fadel told the Iraqi News Agency.

The barge "will be fully docked within seven days after the pipelines and fuel are delivered, so that it will officially enter service within the same period and contribute to supporting the national system", INA quoted him as saying.

The Turkish company Karpowership said on Wednesday that it had signed a contract with Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity to supply power from two vessels to be moored off the southern province of Basra.

Tug boats manoeuvre the power barge into position at Iraq's Umm Qasr port. Reuters

Mr Fadel said the second vessel would arrive at the port "in a month, with the same production capacity, as part of a government contract to equip the electrical power system with more than 250MW per day".

He said the government had decided on "purchasing energy through barges to enhance the production of the electricity system and reduce dependence on imported fuel".

"These barges will contribute to adding 600MW to the national grid, and they operate on local fuel," he added.

Iraq suffered near nationwide blackouts last week after temperatures as high as 50°C pushed up demand for air conditioning, the latest episode in a mounting electricity crisis caused by a lack of infrastructure investment, intensifying heat waves and disruptions to gas imports from its neighbour Iran.

Karpowership said the power barges sent to Iraq would operate for an initial 71-day period, “playing a critical role in stabilising the national grid and meeting demand”.

The company has a fleet of floating power stations that it leases to countries that need electricity but do not have the time or means to build enough permanent onshore capacity. It currently has vessels in countries including Ghana, Gabon and Brazil, according to its website.