Jordan has invited bids for a project to build power lines and other facilities to supply electricity to nearby Iraq, a local newspaper said on Tuesday. 

The Jordan National Electric Company (JNEC) issued the bids for the project, which is part of an agreement signed by the two Arab countries in 2020, local Arabic language daily Alghad said. 

Phase 1 of the project involves the construction of a 300-kilometre power lines and other facilities at a cost of nearly $140 million, the report said. 

“It will supply 150 megawatts of electricity to Iraq for a period of three years, which could be renewed as per agreement between the two sides,” it said, adding that the lines would be ready by the end of 2022 and the entire project will be finished within 26 months. 

OPEC member Iraq has also signed a link-up agreement with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council for the supply of electricity and has awarded contracts to a number of foreign firms for the construction of solar power plants within a strategy to slash reliance on energy imports from neighboring Iran.