General Electric announced June 17 the addition of a gigawatt of electrical energy to the Iraqi national grid, which is being distributed to the capital, Baghdad, and the southern cities of Samawah and Nasiriyah.

This means that domestic electricity sources are finally being enhanced following power cutoffs amid a deteriorating infrastructure. And the gigawatt is coming via equipment and expertise provided by a US multinational rather than from Iran, from which Iraq imports about 7 gigawatts. Iraq is seeking alternatives to Iranian energy sources because of US sanctions that impose restrictions on the import of energy and gas from Iran.

The official spokesman and media director at the Electricity Ministry, Ahmed Moussa, told Al-Monitor that while “General Electric has contracts with the Ministry of Electricity to boost the production of the C composite stations" in Samawah and Nasiriyah (Dhi Qar) that combined will deliver 1.5 gigawatts of power, the amount being generated is "500 megawatts, not 1,000 megawatts [1 gigawatt] as reported in the news.”

Moussa said that under Electricity Ministry contracts with General Electric, work is underway "so that the total of each station reaches about 750 megawatts.”