Iraq pauses Jordan power link in Al-Rutba
Shafaq News- Al-Anbar
Al-Rutba, a western district in Iraq’s Al-Anbar province near the Jordanian border, has been reconnected to the country’s national electricity grid through Al-Qaim, while power imports from Jordan have been temporarily suspended, a local official told Shafaq News on Tuesday.
Al-Rutba District Commissioner Imad Al-Rishawi said the district is now receiving electricity through Al-Qaim instead of the Jordanian line after transmission towers linking Al-Risha, Al-Rutba, and Al-Qaim were completed. The Jordan interconnection will remain offline until remaining work on the 400-kilovolt line is finished.
Iraq and Jordan are then expected to discuss restarting the link at a capacity of up to 500 MW, according to plans communicated by Iraq’s Electricity Ministry, Al-Rishawi added.
Jordan began supplying Al-Rutba in March 2024 under the first phase of the project, delivering about 40 MW through a 132-kV connection. The Iraq-Jordan interconnection is part of Baghdad’s wider effort to diversify electricity imports and strengthen the national grid through links with Jordan, Turkiye, and Gulf states.
