Power Grids of Iran, Syria to Be Connected via Iraq: Minister

Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said his ministry plans to connect the country’s national grid to Syria through Iraq as Tehran and Damascus signed a preliminary agreement in this regard.

Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Iranian Energy Ministry and the Syrian Electricity Ministry in Tehran on Saturday, Ardakanian pointed to the synchronization of the power grids of Iran and Iraq on Friday and said, “We intend to use the existing infrastructure to connect the Iranian and Syrian power grids via Iraq.”

The Iranian minister added that in the near future, the electricity transmission between Iran and Syria would become possible via Iraq.

“We plan to create the necessary infrastructure for the implementation of this program within the next three years so that we witness the synchronization of the power grids of Iran and Syria,” he added.

The power grids of Iran and Iraq were synchronized in a ceremony held on Friday attended by Ardakanian and the Iraqi deputy minister of electricity.

Earlier this year, the two countries had reached an agreement to connect their power grids by the end of 2019.

Speaking to Tasnim, Iranian Deputy Energy Minister Homayoun Ha’eri said with the synchronization of the national grids, the two countries would witness the increase of electricity exchanges.

According to Ardakanian, Iran’s exports of electricity to neighboring states, particularly to Iraq, reached a record high last year.

Ardakanian and his Iraqi counterpart Luay al-Khatteeb signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and a contract in February to boost cooperation between the two countries in the electricity industry.

On October 16, a US State Department spokesman said Washington has once again exempted Iraq from its sanctions against Iran, allowing the Arab country to continue gas and electricity imports from the Islamic Republic for another four-month period.

Power cuts in Iraq have often prompted protests against the authorities. Iran supplies enough gas to power 2,500 megawatts (MW), as well as providing Iraq with 1,200 MW in direct power supplies, according to media reports.