Ministry of Electricity workers maintaining the electricity transmission network in Basra. One of the contracts GE signed with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity is a $727m agreement to reinforce the country's transmission network and its interconnection with Jordan's grid. AP Photo
Ministry of Electricity workers maintaining the electricity transmission network in Basra. One of the contracts GE signed with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity is a $727m agreement to reinforce the country's transmission network and its interconnection with Jordan's grid. AP Photo
Ministry of Electricity workers maintaining the electricity transmission network in Basra. One of the contracts GE signed with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity is a $727m agreement to reinforce the country's transmission network and its interconnection with Jordan's grid. AP Photo
Ministry of Electricity workers maintaining the electricity transmission network in Basra. One of the contracts GE signed with Iraq's Ministry of Electricity is a $727m agreement to reinforce the coun

GE signs $1.2bn worth of contracts to upgrade Iraq's power infrastructure


Jennifer Gnana
  • English
  • Arabic

GE signed agreements valued at $1.2 billion (Dh4.4bn) with Iraq’s electricity ministry to upgrade power plants, improve grid stability and facilitate financing.

The US multinational’s gas power subsidiary secured a $500 million contract to upgrade “mission-critical” power plants with a collective capacity of 6 gigawatts.

GE Grid Solutions also picked up a contact worth $727m to reinforce Iraq’s transmission network and interconnection with neighbouring Jordan.

GE will also help Iraq to access to $1bn worth of financing for the projects through various export credit agencies.

"Our primary focus is to deliver uninterrupted electricity, especially during summer months, to meet the needs of our people and industry. To achieve this, we have already rolled out a clear action plan,” said Majid Al Emaar, Iraq’s electricity minister.

GE's agreements were part of a wider $8bn worth of contracts signed by US multinational energy companies with the Iraqi government on Wednesday evening. Honeywell, Stellar Energy, Baker Hughes and Chevron were among the businesses that signed agreements with Iraq's oil and electricity ministries.

Rebuilding Iraq's power infrastructure, damaged by decades of war, is high on the government’s list of priorities. A crippled utility network has been a key factor behind protests across Iraqi provinces during summer months, when temperatures can easily reach 50°C, occasionally requiring government-mandated holidays to cope with the extreme weather. GE is implementing 14GW worth of power projects in Iraq, as part of a strategic overhaul of the country's utility sector.

Under the latest agreement, GE will carry out repairs and upgrades on power plants located in the provinces of Basra, Mosul, Baghdad and Karbala to maintain a supply of 6GW of power. The agreement follows the 1.575GW that the firm added to the grid in December 2019 and the delivery of 4.325GW to meet peak summer demand.

Iraq’s planned grid interconnect with Jordan will help by "decongesting the grid and securing reliable power supply”, GE said.

The company will execute "the design, supply, installation testing and commissioning of high voltage substations and specific overhead transmission lines".

The project will allow for smoother operations and delivery of uninterrupted power across the national grid in Iraq, the firm added.

GE has helped secure more than $2.4bn in financing for energy sector projects in Iraq so far, the company said.

Iraq has been courting large, multinational energy services companies such as Siemens and GE to rebuild its damaged utilities and reduce gas flaring, which has led to billions of dollars in lost revenue over the past decade.

In June, Iraq’s electricity ministry signed a contract with Siemens for a 400 kilovolt substation near Ramadi, in the centre of the country, as part of a $15bn programme to upgrade the country's electricity network.

The German industrial giant is building 13 132/33kV substations as part of its roadmap, with a focus on electricity transmission and distribution in Basra and central and southern provinces in the country.

Company%20profile
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

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Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

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Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus

To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.

The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.

SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land  once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.

But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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RESULTS

2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Masaali, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).

2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Almoreb, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Imprison, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.

3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Raahy, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.

4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Cross The Ocean, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m. Winner: Sa’Ada, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash.

PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP

Men’s: 
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)

Women's: 
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

Company%20Profile
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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog

Name: Sarah Al Senaani

Age: 35

Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2

Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism

Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding

Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier

Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish

Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule

12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)

2pm Formula One final practice 

5pm Formula One qualifying

6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)

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Manchester United v Liverpool

Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)

Honeymoonish
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The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet