Iraq completes 132/33 kV substation under JIPT project

Iraq has completed the construction of a 132/33 kV extra-high voltage substation in Al-Rutba district, Anbar governorate under the proposed Jordan–Iraq Power Transmission Project (JIPT), which is expected to be completed by end-2024. The project entails the construction of a 300-km-long, 400 kV transmission line connecting the Al-Risha substation in Jordan with the Al-Qaim electrical transformation station in Iraq. It also includes the commissioning of switchgear at the 400/132/33 kV Risha substation among other network upgrades. The project will help meet the load requirements of the Al-Qaim region of Iraq. In April 2023, Jordan agreed to supply 150 MW of electricity to Iraq via the JIPT project – 50 MW initially, gradually increasing to 150 MW later. In September 2020, the two governments signed a contract to link their electricity networks and trade electricity. In the first phase, Jordan will provide Iraq with 150 MW after completing the network link between the two countries, followed by a second phase that will allow the two sides to increase the capacity of electricity exchange to 500 MW, and in the third phase to 900 MW. Subsequently, the project implementation mechanism for the interconnector was signed by Jordan’s National Electric Power Company (NEPCO) and Iraq’s General Electricity Transmission Company