Would Deralok Hydropower Plant solve the power outage in Kurdistan?

Shafaq News/ Almost 95% of the Deralok Hydropower Plant has been completed in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The 37 MW hydroelectric power station was built on the Great Zab River near Deralok village in Duhok Governorate.

The project, which costs 160$ million, is financed and supervised by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is expected to operate soon.

To complete this project, more than 8,410,000 cubic meters of concrete and 9,250,000 tons of reinforcement rebar were placed, and 910,000 cubic meters of earthwork were performed.

Upon completion, the Deralok Hydropower dam will help supply the required electricity for the Kurdistan region and control floods.

"The plant consists of two turbines and can generate 37.2 megawatts of electricity," said Sikvan Shawkat, a mechanical engineer.

"Due to the water shortage from the Great Zab, the daily production does not exceed seven megawatts." The Project Director, Hassan Youssef, explained.

For decades, Kurdistan has grappled with power outages due to the dilapidation of local power stations.

To solve the longstanding problem, the KRG has started building power stations like Deralok and the Khabat thermal plant in cooperation with international companies.