Iraq accelerates completion of 1,640 MW Anbar power plant

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has authorized authorities to repay overdue payments to the Chinese business that is building the Anbar Combined-Cycle Power Plant, a significant electrical project with a projected capacity of 1,640 megawatts. The decision was issued at a meeting with business executives on Sunday, November 8, 2026, during which Al-Zaidi stressed the importance of maintaining construction quality and completing the project’s technical criteria. SEPCOIII, a Chinese engineering and construction firm linked with state-owned PowerChina, is implementing the project. The project, near Hit in Iraq’s western Anbar Governorate, is being built for the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity. The facility will be powered by four gas turbines and two steam turbines, with combined-cycle technology used to create extra energy from heat generated during gas-fired power production. Construction started in 2013 but was halted after the Islamic State group’s control of sections of Anbar. Work restarted in late 2022, with the Chinese contractor taking over responsibility for finishing the project. The plant is scheduled to receive natural gas from Anbar’s Akkas gas field. The connecting pipeline must be completed, and stable fuel supplies are still required before the plant can be fully operational. Once finished, the Anbar power plant is projected to improve energy supply across the province and add producing capacity to Iraq’s national grid.