Electricity a fundamental pillar of economic growth 8/24

Electricity a fundamental pillar of economic growth

8/24/2015 0:00

BAGHDAD - Imad Emirate
said the scholar d. Rahim Hassouni from the Faculty of Management and Economics at the University of Baghdad: The electricity system is the main pillar of the national economy as a user to enter in all economic activities as much as the power of the individual is an important criterion in assessing the level of well-being of the individual and then the community. He pointed out that the accumulation of power crisis due to decades of destruction of this vital sector, either by the former regime's policies or because of aging power plants and transmission and distribution networks or by shortening clear and corruption apparent during the past years after the year 2003, posing huge costs on the Iraqi economy is in wasting the time of production and damage capital assets due to power outages and the inability to carry out business operations in accordance with the timetable can be relied upon.

He pointed out that the absence of electrical power supply has led to the proliferation of private diesel generators, which represents the continued operation of high generating costs and lead to the events of noise and air pollution and the emission of large amounts of polluting carbon, with an estimated total cost incurred by the national economy (according to the integrated strategy for energy) due to lack of electric power by more than 40 billion dollars a year.

He added that the wheel of the national economy stalled due to power outages where there is (17 ) thousand factory in the private sector depends on the work and exposed their workers to unemployment, and confirms their owners that more than half of which can be to him that works if the electricity available on an ongoing basis and stable.

and between, the complex power crisis pulled in internal factors reflected the failure of the Ministry of Electricity and behind in the delivery of those service to the citizen as there are external factors was the interventions of foreign countries to block the increase of electric power for political reasons, economic or other projects.

He attributed d. Rahim low electric power to a number of reasons and obstacles such as the decline in capacity utilization design compared with actual energies that arrived to attribute to (41 percent) of design capacity in 2012 because of the lack or non-arrival of fuel from petroleum products to most of the electric power generation projects systematically and continuously has led So to the national grid loss (3190) MW due to lack of fuel processing of the Ministry of Oil in 2012, and the stations that have suffered from the scarcity of fuel is gaseous Alekiarp station (750) MW and crutch-invasive (250) MW and Mansouria gas (730) MW and Rumaila gas (146 .) MW.

He said that the other reason is the low quality of connecting the fuel to power plants, many of which were run alternative fuel, especially gas stations as diesel fuel or heavy fuel oil, which led to a decline in actual production by almost half, Aldhaiat of reached Energy (6230) General MW in 2012 of which (3000 (MW to be used fuel is suitable and (3230) MW due to lack of fuel for some power plants equipped with this the Ministry of Electricity cost additional sums due to the use of chemicals to reduce the impact of heavy fuel in gas turbines.

He said, there Another reason was the lack of qualified skilled in the generation, transmission operations and distribution reflected on the efficiency of the perpetuation and maintenance of the electrical system is added to the aging generation units which have deteriorated readiness and efficiency and has spent the cost of operation and maintenance, Another reason is the low levels of the Tigris and Euphrates, which led to a decline in the generation of commercial stations that make up the proportion (28 percent (of the total stations operating, what caused the loss of 300 megawatts from the national system.
He d. Rahim that the Committee on Parliamentary Integrity revealed the existence of many and serious legal irregularities in contracts for electricity.

According to the Inspector General of the Ministry that the breach in General Electric Co US contracts and Germany's Siemens has reached more than two billion dollars in US grant for the reconstruction of Iraq reconstruction amounting to part of ($ 18.6 billion It has been allocated (5.6) billion dollars to the Ministry of Electricity of which $ (2.8) billion for generation and $ (1.8) billion for transport networks and power plants and the amount (billion) to the distribution network of $ does not know how disbursed amounts and where?

He concluded by saying : about the complexities we have to think carefully about finding radical to the problem of electricity solutions where you can not achieve any development in time perspective not even the term unless solve the energy subject, especially as the advancement of the production of electricity leads to the development of all production and service sectors of the economy, which in turn works to achieve development truly sustainable economy
national.


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