Iraq and Jordan launch electricity grid interconnection in Al-Anbar's Rutba district

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Iraqi Minister of Electricity Ziad Ali Fadhil inaugurated the first phase of the Iraqi-Jordanian electricity grid inter-connection in the Rutba district of Al-Anbar Govrnorate, western Iraq.

Fadhil, accompanied by several ministers and senior officials from electricity transmission and distribution companies, formally operated the Risha line, enabling the transportation of electricity from Jordan to Iraq, particularly benefiting the Rutba district. 

A source explained to Shafaq News Agency that the initial operational capacity of the line is 50 megawatts, with plans to increase it to 500 megawatts in the future as additional connection phases are completed to cover broader areas of Al-Anbar.

During a press conference, Minister Fadhil highlighted the "importance of completing the Jordanian electrical connection, which sets the stage for subsequent phases, including the Gulf connection for Basra province and the Saudi connection." 

On Thursday, the director General of the Jordanian National Electricity Company, Amjad Al-Rawashdeh, told the state news agency Petra, "The Jordanian-Iraqi electrical connection line entered service on Saturday, connecting the Risha electrical station in Jordan with the Rutba station in Iraq at a voltage of 132 kilovolts to supply power to the Rutba area near the border."

Notably, Iraq's current electricity generation capacity ranges from 19,000 to 21,000 megawatts, yet the country's demand exceeds 30,000 megawatts.

Iraq relies on Iran for nearly a third of its electricity, though this has been subject to interruptions. For instance, when Tehran reduced gas supplies to Iraq from 50 million cubic feet to 8.5 million cubic feet because of "unpaid bills," widespread electricity shortages struck central and southern governorates. Therefore, Baghdad has sought to diversify its electricity supply through overtures to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Jordan, and Kuwait.

Over the years, Baghdad has relied on importing 1,200 megawatts of electricity from neighboring Iran to supplement its domestic power supply.

In addition to the agreement with Jordan, the country signed in 2022 a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia for electricity interconnection.