Iraq and GE Sign National Power Plan

Iraq has signed a comprehensive agreement with GE to secure the country's energy supply, the Ministry of Electricity announced on 23 July 2026. Minister of Electricity Ali Saad Wahib signed the deal in Washington under the auspices of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

The agreement covers an integrated national programme linking capacity additions, fuel supply, transmission network development and financing into a single framework aimed at improving electricity supply stability and efficiency. According to the Ministry of Electricity, the programme includes construction and expansion of power generation stations using GE's combined-cycle technology, a central generation project at Al Faw, and expansion of generation stations in multiple governorates.

Transmission and Grid Infrastructure

The agreement includes development and modernisation of the national transmission network, construction and upgrading of transmission substations, and an electricity interconnection project with Saudi Arabia using high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. The programme also covers advanced distribution control centres and automation of secondary substations.

The Ministry of Electricity said the agreement mobilises and structures project financing alongside the technical components, integrating generation, transmission and distribution elements into a coordinated plan.

GE's Existing Iraq Portfolio

The new agreement builds on GE's existing presence in Iraq's power sector. Since December 2019, GE has added 1,575 MW of new capacity in Iraq. The company currently provides operations and maintenance services for plants in Basra, Mosul, Baghdad, Karbala and other cities, supplying more than 6,000 MW of power capacity.

In August 2020, GE announced agreements valued at over $1.2 billion with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity, comprising $500 million in upgrade, maintenance and service contracts for existing power plants and $727 million for major transmission upgrade projects under GE's Grid Solutions division.

GE has been active in Iraq's power sector since 2008, when it signed a nearly $3 billion agreement with the Ministry of Electricity for power generation equipment and services, including heavy-duty Frame 9E multi-fuel gas turbines capable of supplying 7,000 MW of electricity. In 2016, GE signed a $520 million multiyear operation and maintenance agreement with Mass Energy Group Holding for the 3 GW Basmaya gas-fired power plant, located approximately 40 km east of Baghdad. GE Power subsequently worked with Mass Energy Group Holding to develop the third phase of the Basmaya plant, adding up to 1.5 GW of additional capacity by 2021 and raising total plant capacity to 4.5 GW through the supply of four 9F gas turbines and four generators.

Under Iraq's Power Up Plan, a 2017 deal with GE totaling $1.4 billion in orders from the Ministry of Electricity called for the company to add more than 2 GW of generation capacity, including about 1.5 GW at the Samawa and Dhi Qar power plants. In 2018, GE outlined a preliminary plan to add 14 GW of capacity to Iraq's power infrastructure, with about 1.5 GW of additional power to be brought online by 2019 through upgrades at existing plant sites. GE indicated the plan could create about 65,000 direct and indirect jobs and annual savings or recoverable losses of up to $3 billion.