General Electric signs $100 million deal for Sulaimani power plant

SULAIMANI, Iraqi Kurdistan,— US energy giant General Electric signed a $100 million deal Sunday with Sulaimani-based Taurus Arm to upgrade the Bazyan power plant, officials announced.

Qubad Talabani, a member of the PUK party’s Political Bureau and the caretaker deputy Iraqi Kurdistan region prime minister said the agreement shows that “Kurdistan is open for business with the world’s biggest companies,” in a post on X. He added that Slemani is leading Iraq in investment projects.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Talabani said the Iraqi Kurdistan plans to become a major electricity exporter in the region.

The Bazyan plant, located in Sulaimani and operated by Taurus Arm, currently produces 500 megawatts of electricity. It supplies power to more than 1.5 million homes across areas including Mosul, Kirkuk, and Salahaddin.

Rasheed al-Janabi, president of GE Vernova-Iraq, mentioned that the use of new technology will boost the plant’s reliability and efficiency while cutting costs and operational risks.

According to Janabi, the goal is to triple production to about 1,500 megawatts without needing additional fuel.

Saad Tayeb Hassan, CEO of Qaiwan Group, said GE will handle all upgrades, repairs, and introduce the latest global technologies. Hassan noted this would allow for increased power generation with less gas, lowering electricity costs for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

GE had previously signed a 16-year maintenance agreement with Taurus Arm in 2022, covering services for two turbines at Bazyan.

At the ceremony, U.S. Consul General Steve Bitner said he hoped to see more partnerships between American and Kurdish companies.

Despite the announcements, residents in Iraqi Kurdistan continue to face widespread electricity shortages.

After three decades of semi-autonomy, the KRG has yet to provide consistent power to its citizens. Frequent blackouts, especially during the summer and winter peaks, have forced families and businesses to rely on private diesel generators, which are expensive and polluting.

There are more than 5,500 private generators operating in Erbil alone, not counting units owned by hotels and restaurants, according to local data.

Critics have long accused the region’s dominant political families, the Barzanis and Talabanis, of enriching themselves through oil deals while neglecting the Kurdistan Region’s crumbling infrastructure and failing to serve the population.

(With files from Rudaw | Agencies)