Couple of Turkish companies signed contracts to sell power to Iraq

Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) of Turkey has approved the applications of two Turkish companies, Aksa and Kartet, for power exportation to Iraq. 400 million Turkish Liras – is the total volume of the power trade to Iraq, as estimated by the experts. Hasan Köktaş has announced this, which is the head of EPDK.

The EPDK had announced it was looking for a Turkish legal person who wanted to export power to Iraq via the existing 154 kilovolt (kV) PS3-Zakho power transmission line earlier, and two local companies, Aksa and Kartet, applied. Köktaş declared that the license for exporting around 2 billion kilowatt-hours has been given to both the companies. Thus, Aksa and Kartet will have the equal rights to export power to the Mosul region of Iraq.

Between the years of 2003 to 2008 Kartet used to supply electricity to Iraq. However, due to the security issues sales had been reduced.

Selling power to PKK – Criticized by Kartet
It has to be noted that the contract has come to an end by the year of 2010.

Though, it has been extended by the company for one more year. For making another extension in the year of 2012, the company had reapplied. Unfortunately, the company did not succeed on that particular occasion. When Kartet sold power to Iraq in past years, the company had been criticized by some for “selling electricity to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Hilmi Güler, the Turkish energy minister of that time, told, “We do not sell power to the PKK, but to Iraq. Our counterpart here is the Iraqi central government.”

Köktaş also stated that the Turkey and Georgia are aiming for the completion of their investment plans for creating an estimated capacity of 700 megawatts (MW) of power transmission between the two countries. In his statement, Köktaş added, “Turkey’s power market has recently been so developed that it is possible now to export power to Turkey’s neighboring countries. As soon as the interconnection investments are completed, Turkey will reach a much better position in terms of guaranteeing its energy supply and extending its power trade.”

He also remarked that an application has also come from a local company to get a license to import power from Iran. The matter is now under the vigilance of law and order regulatory board. Presently, for power trading two powers transmission lines are used between Turkey and Iran. They have 150-MW capacity and 50 MW capacities respectively.