Ceremony regarding the Project for Construction of Diesel Power Station in Samawah, Iraq

June 30, 2006

1. With regard to Japan's reconstruction assistance for Iraq, a ceremony regarding the Project for Construction of a Diesel Power Station in Samawah was held on June 28 (Wed) at 16:00 (local time: 11:00) at the construction site. Attending the ceremony on the Iraqi side were Mr. Mohammed Ali Hassan Abbas Al-Hassani, Governor of Al-Muthanna, and other officials concerned; and on the Japanese side, officials of the Liaison Office in Samawah of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and members of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF).
2. Improving the power supply is an urgent matter in Iraq including Samawah and the Governorate of Al-Muthanna, the key area of Japanese Reconstruction Assistance for Iraq. Although the power demand in the entire Governorate is currently about 200 megawatt (MW), the amount of electricity actually supplied is only about 40-50 MW.
   
   In addition, the Governorate of Al-Muthanna has no power station and relies on power supply from other Governorates. In the Governorate of Al-Muthanna including Samawah, electricity supply is regularly cut off for many hours, affecting the lives of the local population. Against this backdrop, the Governorate of Al-Muthanna has repeatedly requested Japan to extend a large-scale assistance in electricity supply.
3. In this project, work for land leveling and other purposes was already initiated on March 13 (Mon), and the construction will be completed in about two years. On March 28 (Tue), a ceremony to launch the project was held, followed by the completion of land improvements on the site on June 18 (Sun) and of land elevation for security on June 22 (Thu).
4. Smooth implementation of the project will lead to the installation of a 60 MW-generating power station. It is expected that the power station will contribute to improving the electricity supply in the whole Governorate of Al-Muthanna including Samawah. Through the construction of this power station, the electricity supply in the Governorate of Al-Muthanna will become efficient and stable, which will help improve the living conditions of the local people.

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