Iraq pauses Jordan power link in Al-Rutba
Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
Al-Rutba, a western district in Iraq’s Al-Anbar province near the Jordanian border, has been reconnected to the country’s national electricity grid through Al-Qaim, while power imports from Jordan have been temporarily suspended, a local official told Shafaq News on Tuesday.
Al-Rutba District Commissioner Imad Al-Rishawi said the district is now receiving electricity through Al-Qaim instead of the Jordanian line after transmission towers linking Al-Risha, Al-Rutba, and Al-Qaim were completed. The Jordan interconnection will remain offline until remaining work on the 400-kilovolt line is finished.
Iraq and Jordan are then expected to discuss restarting the link at capacity of up to 500 MW, according to plans communicated by Iraq’s Electricity Ministry, Al-Rishawi added.
Jordan began supplying Al-Rutba in March 2024 under the first phase of the project, delivering about 40 MW through a 132-kV connection. The Iraq-Jordan interconnection is part of Baghdad’s wider effort to diversify electricity imports and strengthen the national grid through links with Jordan, Turkiye, and Gulf states.
