Cabinet approves one-year extension of electricity supply agreement with Iraq

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a 12-month extension of the electricity supply contract between Jordan and Iraq, maintaining the existing terms of the agreement.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has recently said that the second phase of the Jordan-Iraq electricity interconnection project is on track for completion in the first quarter of 2025.

The ministry also noted that civil and engineering works are already underway, including the procurement of materials, electrical switches, transformers and related components, as well as the construction of a 400-kilovolt (kV) transmission line, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

This second phase will provide electricity to Al Qaem area of Iraq through a radial system, following the completion of a 330-kV transmission line.

It also includes the completion of the interconnection at Al Qaem substation in Iraq and the construction of the Risheh substation in Jordan.

The first phase, launched earlier this year, connected the Rutba area in Iraq to the Jordanian grid, supplying 40 megawatts at 132 kV via a radial system following the completion of a 150-kilometres transmission line on the Iraqi side.

Meanwhile, the Council of Ministers also approved measures to facilitate the establishment of the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) representative office in the Kingdom.  

The session also saw the approval of a twinning agreement between Petra City and China's Jiayuguan, with the aim of boosting cooperation in the economic, tourism and cultural sectors.