Germany’s Siemens Energy and Iraq’s Electricity Ministry have signed a preliminary agreement to add 14GW of electricity generation capacity to Iraq’s grid.

The firms also signed two long-term service contracts for the Dibis and Al-Mussaib gas-fired power plants.

The contract for the Dibis power plant covers two generating units with a combined capacity of 340MW.

The five-year maintenance contract for the Al-Mussaib power station includes rehabilitating units with a capacity of 750MW and an additional 150MW, along with support for safe operations and performance optimisation.

The announcement was made following a meeting between Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani, local media reported.

The deals were signed a few weeks after US-headquartered GE Vernova signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Iraqi government to establish 24GW of combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants in the country.

In late April, Iraq and Siemens Energy also announced breaking ground on a project to build a new CCGT power generation plant in Nasiriyah in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar governorate.

The project is part of a $1.68bn development package that Al-Sudani recently launched.

In addition to the CCGT plant, the other projects include the Nasiriyah Integrated Medical City, a 700-bed hospital complex and infrastructure works in the Suq Al-Shuyukh district.