Dammam (UNA) - Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, inaugurated on Thursday evening the start of the implementation of the electrical connection between the Gulf Interconnection Authority and the Republic of Iraq, in the presence of the Saudi Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Iraqi Minister of Energy. Ziyad Ali Fadel Al-Ruzeej and a number of energy ministers in the Arab Gulf states, Gulf ambassadors to the Kingdom and a number of Gulf and Iraqi officials.
And Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province, expressed his overwhelming happiness at celebrating this step of the Electric Interconnection Authority of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, considering this occasion a blessed fruit from the fruits of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States, through the inauguration of the electrical interconnection project with the sister country of Iraq. , stressing that the project will bring much benefit and abundant goodness to the entire region, and will be the beginning of a new start towards broader horizons and larger markets.
The Emir of the Eastern Region said: “The electrical interconnection project is the culmination of the support and patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his trustworthy Crown Prince and their brothers, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Through what he saved from the capital and operational costs of the Gulf electricity networks.
He added: “The project, praise be to God, according to the announced studies, provided about half of the total reserves required in the countries before the completion of the electrical connection, in addition to providing electricity transmission services in a reliable, sustainable and competitive manner, which had a good impact on supporting and assisting all development activities in the region.” .
The Emir of the Eastern Region said: “The electrical interconnection project enters a wider world with the launch of the interconnection project with the sister country of Iraq, and we all achieve many goals with it, and it enhances the position of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in supporting and raising the value of the regional electricity market, and achieves the aspirations of the peoples of the region Trade and exchange of electric energy, as it is an important part of the comprehensive Arab electrical interconnection project, which will link the Arab countries to each other, and will link them in the future, God willing, with more distant places.
For his part, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy, said in his speech: “The start of the implementation of the electrical interconnection project, between the electrical interconnection network of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the southern network of the Republic of Iraq, whose implementation contract was signed between the Gulf Electrical Interconnection Authority and the Ministry of Energy.” Electricity in Iraq, on the sidelines of the “Jeddah Security and Development Summit”, in July of last year, is one of the projects aimed at strengthening cooperation between the GCC countries and brotherly Iraq in the economic and social fields.
And he raised the highest verses of thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz; Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and to the leaders of the GCC countries, and to the brotherly Iraqi leadership, for their continuous support and continued support for the Gulf electrical interconnection project.
He pointed out that electrical interconnection is a trend adopted by many countries, due to what it achieves in enhancing the security and stability of interconnected networks, maximizing economic benefits from them, and increasing their capabilities to integrate renewable energy sources into them, and for what it contributes to creating a regional and international market for the exchange and export of electric energy.
He added: “The electrical interconnection network was established for the countries of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, based on the result of the study that was prepared during the period from 1984 to 1986 AD, with funding from the Saudi Fund for Industrial Development, which was implemented by the Research Institute at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. , and the Institute of Scientific Research in Kuwait, with some international consultants, and under the supervision of a technical working group from member states, and the subsequent detailed studies that confirmed the benefits that countries can reap from electrical interconnection, indicating that as a result of these studies, the implementation of the first phase of the project was approved. At the Muscat Summit in 1997 AD, and today, all Gulf countries see the benefits achieved from this project since its launch in 2009 AD.
As for the direct Saudi-Iraqi electrical interconnection project, the principles of the interconnection agreement signed between the two brotherly sides are being implemented, as this project extends from the city of Arar in the north of the Kingdom, to Yusufiyah west of Baghdad, and its initial capacity is 1000 megawatts, and it will support the project, in addition to the electrical interconnection project. The Iraqi Gulf, upon completion and operation, will form the Iraqi electrical network, and enhance its ability to meet the electricity needs of the brotherly Iraqi people in the coming years. It will also enhance the security and stability of the interconnected electrical networks.
The Minister of Energy expressed his appreciation for the progress of work on the direct Saudi-Iraqi electrical interconnection project, which is supervised by a joint work team from the Kingdom and Iraq.
In turn, the Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Eng. Ziyad Ali Fadel Al-Ruzeej, confirmed in his speech that laying the foundation stone for the Iraqi-Gulf electrical interconnection project is considered one of the important strategic projects at the level of Arab integration in the field of electric energy and another artery that connects Iraq with its depth in the Arab Gulf.
He said that his country is keen to adopt and complete electrical interconnection projects with neighboring countries, especially sister countries, pointing out that the interconnection project with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the interconnection with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia comes within this context, which reflects the Iraqi government's tendencies in promoting energy and economic integration between countries. Arabic.
And he stated, that after the signing of the framework contract for the connection between the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity and the Gulf Interconnection Authority in 2019, this day is the practical translation of direct cooperation with our brothers in general and the Gulf Interconnection Authority in particular by laying the foundation stone for the interconnection project, which includes the implementation of a line with two circuits of Al-Zour secondary station 400 km. P passing through the station Wafra 400 km. F to Al-Faw station 400 km. F and a total length of (322) km, and the amount of capacity expected to be imported through the plan will amount to (500) megawatts to feed the province of Basra.
He stressed that the project will constitute a great addition to the electrical system by enhancing the reliability and stability of energy and improving the service provided to citizens, and expressed his thanks to everyone who contributed to supporting the project, looking forward to another gathering on upcoming occasions.
The Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Al-Budaiwi, said that the Gulf electrical interconnection project is one of the most important projects for linking the infrastructure between the GCC states. Fiber optic networks, providing the foundations for the exchange and trade of electrical energy between Member States in a way that serves the economic aspects, supports the reliability of electrical supply, and deals with emergency crises.
He stressed that the project is among the complementary projects that have taken place among the GCC states, the level of cooperation between the member states, and all of that is thanks to God Almighty and then thanks to the generous directives of Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC states, may God preserve and preserve them, in order to achieve more achievements to serve the march. Progress and development in the GCC states to achieve the hopes and aspirations of the citizens of the GCC states.
He stated that the connection with the southern network of the Republic of Iraq is one of the most important strategic projects for the GCC countries, as the project will support the existing cooperation between the GCC countries and the Republic of Iraq, and allow the Republic of Iraq to find sustainable alternatives to electric energy, and will achieve economic benefits for both sides through the export of electric energy from the GCC countries. of the Republic of Iraq.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gulf Electrical Interconnection Authority, Eng. Mohsen bin Hamad Al-Hadrami, said that the Gulf Electrical Interconnection Project is one of the most important infrastructure interconnection projects approved by Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
He added that the Gulf strategic project has achieved year after year of technical and economic benefits for the GCC countries, as it contributes to support in emergency cases to spare the networks of the GCC countries electrical outages, by providing immediate support during emergency cases by transferring the required energy through the electrical interconnection network that extends for a distance. Approximately 1,050 km from the State of Kuwait to the Sultanate of Oman.
He stated that the project, since its operation until now, has supported approximately 2,700 cases of support, and the project has also contributed to achieving savings for the GCC countries ranging from 200 to 300 million US dollars annually, and the cumulative savings for the GCC countries since the start of the project has amounted to about 3 Billions of US dollars.
He stressed that the project aims to meet part of the demand for electrical energy in the south of the Republic of Iraq, with about 500 megawatts of energy from the GCC countries through the Gulf electrical interconnection network as a first stage, and the work on the project will take about 24 months, and it is expected to complete the implementation of the project. And it's up and running with late next year.
At the end of the ceremony, the Emir of the Eastern Region honored a number of entities, and blessed the signing of a number of agreements.
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