German energy delegation meets Iraqi officials with eyes on multi-billion-dollar projects

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A German energy delegation arrived in Baghdad on Sunday to meet with Iraqi officials and discuss an over $10 billion-worth deal to improve the country’s electricity sector.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi met with the German delegation headed by the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Thomas Bareiss, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) read.

According to the statement, the German delegation expressed their support for Iraq in all sectors and the readiness of German companies to work and invest in the country.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Handelsblatt newspaper reported that German engineering group Siemens is working on a deal worth up to nine billion euros (10.6 billion USD) to supply energy generation technology to Iraq.

Siemens Chief Executive, Joe Kaeser, was among the German delegation to secure a memorandum of understanding with Iraq, Handelsblatt said.

In the meeting with Abadi, we “discussed the comprehensive Siemens roadmap to build a better future for the Iraqi people,” the newspaper quoted Kaeser as saying.

A Siemens spokesperson said the company “aims to add 11 gigawatts of power generation capacity to Iraq’s electricity sector in four years, create thousands of jobs in the country, and support anti-corruption, skills development and education among Iraqis.”

According to the former Iraqi Parliament’s Energy Committee, the country has spent 40 billion USD on the electricity and power sector since 2003, yet the government has not been able to provide 24-hour power to its people.

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