Emergency Grant Aid to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Project for the Emergency Rehabilitation of the Hartha Power Station in Iraq

October 17, 2003

1. On October 17 (Fri), the Government of Japan decided to extend emergency grant assistance of about eight million dollars (about 974 million yen) in total to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to assist its project for the Emergency Rehabilitation of the Hartha Power Station and transmission in Basra region.
   
   
2. The aging of the facilities and equipment of the Hartha Power Station, the main power station in Basra region, has become a serious problem because of the 20-year-long war and the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq, leading to the decline of the power generating capacity. Furthermore, the parts for the power station stored was looted after the end of the recent war on Iraq, which left hardly any parts in the storage. This shortage makes it difficult to maintain operations of the power station and there is also a noticeable decline in the power supply to Basra region due to the damaged power distribution grid. It is therefore possible that the present situation may adversely affect civil life unless the facilities of the Hartha Power Station are rehabilitated quickly and the power distribution grid in Basra region restored.
   
   
3. This emergency assistance is part of the project to rehabilitate the power generation sector in Japan's humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance measures for Iraq. The rehabilitation of the Hartha Power Station and the power distribution grid in Basra region will be implemented urgently to enable stable supply of electricity to Basra region through improved electric generating capacity of the power station, thereby contributing not only to improving the life and hygiene of the civilians in Basra region but also to the stabilization of public order.

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