Iraq steps up energy drive with Turkish ship, Basra control center

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq on Saturday moved to shore up its ailing power sector, welcoming a massive Turkish floating plant at Khor al-Zubair port and inaugurating a new central control hub in Basra.

The ORKA SULTAN — at 289 meters the largest ship ever to dock at the port — arrived under a government contract with Turkish operator Karpowership. It follows another unit that berthed in Umm Qasr last week, with both expected to feed 650 megawatts into the national grid within weeks using local fuel.

Ports Chief Farhan al-Fartousi said the successful docking highlighted Iraq’s growing ability to handle large, specialized vessels, crediting a coordinated effort by tugboats and pilots.

Meanwhile, Electricity Minister Ziyad Ali Fadhil opened Basra’s central control center, calling it one of the region’s most advanced. Outfitted with artificial intelligence, the facility will oversee generation across the province, safeguard Basra’s allocation, and improve response times to outages, he told Shafaq News.

Fadhil said both projects reflect Iraq’s strategy to cut reliance on imported gas and boost the use of domestic energy.

The measures come as Iraq struggles to meet demand that peaks at 54 GW while generating only about half that amount.